This Beautiful Bride Underwent Surgery 5 Days Before Her Wedding

Melissa Baran
February 3, 2017
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog
Tags: Wedding Cinematography, Wedding Film

I’ve read many stories that have pulled on my heartstrings in my four years with Style Me Pretty and those sweet stories still get to me today. This Bride’s battle with an illness that threatened her flight to Cabo for her Big Day is no exception. And when you watch the film below from Elysium Productions, I think you’ll be dabbing the tears, too. When you’re done drying those eyes? Head to The Vault for more from Kellie Kano!

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From the Bride… I was lying in a hospital bed, anxious and afraid, clutching tightly to my fiancé’s hand. Our wedding was in less than five days, but I was waiting for the neurologist to clear me for surgery. This hospitalization was the most recent in the saga of my illness. Months prior, I was diagnosed with bilateral vertebral artery dissections. The arteries in my neck that bring blood to my brain had torn and clotted. With blood clots inches from my brain, I was a walking time bomb and major stroke risk. The diagnosis saved my life. Throughout all of the appointments, shots and procedures, Will was always by my side. I am so lucky to have found the love of my life. Luckily, after surgery, I was cleared to fly. Will and I moved our flights to Cabo San Lucas back a day and made it to our wedding in time!

How We Met: Will and I grew up only blocks away from each other, but it took over two decades for our universes to collide. I’m so glad they did. Will and I met through a mutual friend on a starry, summer night. He drank scotch and told a couple of jokes (I seem to remember one in particular about a French fighter pilot) while we all laughed and reveled in the energy of the night. In the middle of a lighthearted game of Truth or Dare, my friend sensed a connection between Will and me, and dared us to kiss. All eyes were on us as I turned toward Will, wondering what he would do. Our eyes locked, and before I had time to think, Will kissed me. The energy was palpable and a lively romance began. The stars had aligned, and we were finally in the same place, at the same time.

Five and a half years later, we gathered with 50 of our closest friends and family members in picturesque Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to celebrate a love realized. We carried out the motif of destiny throughout the wedding, and our theme, “Stars Align & Hearts Combine,” reflected the idea of fate and the importance of the universe and love. Will and I worked with our invitation designer, Swell Press Paper, to create custom letterpress invitations that reflected our theme. I’m a copywriter, so I loved working on the wording for the invitations and building our website, willovescarson.com. Since Will is a mathematician, we even included an insert called, “Carson & Will by the Numbers,” that listed important dates in our relationship.

A year before the wedding, my parents surprised me with a trip to New York City to pick out my dress. I found my dream dress at L’Fay Bridal, and then it was made-to-measure by Flora Bridal in Israel. It was form-fitting with delicate lace details, and lightweight fabric that made it perfect for Cabo’s arid climate. By the end of the night, I changed into a shorter, light blue dress so I could dance to my heart’s content.

The entire wedding weekend was full of emotion because it was the first time in months I was able to have fun and be around so many family and friends, despite my illness. Before the ceremony, Will and I decided to do a first look. It was an incredibly emotional moment because we had worked so hard to get there and we were just so grateful to actually be in Cabo, at our wedding, getting married.

Our colors were shades of pastel pink, blue and lavender to compliment the blues of the Sea of Cortez and the green of the lawn overlooking the desert cliffs during the ceremony. I had blue flowers in my hair that matched the blue flowers in Will’s boutonniere. The officiant read a passage I wrote about the meaning of love, then Will and I exchanged our own handwritten vows before sealing it with a kiss!

During the reception, we had dozens of traditional Mexican star lanterns hanging over the dance floor to create a celestial vibe. We draped fabric inside the Cabo del Sol clubhouse and had lots of hanging flowers and tall centerpieces with my favorite flower—dahlias, to create a romantic ambiance. Our planner, Gaby Cobian of Vivid Occasions, and the florists at Cabo Floral Studios really made our cosmic vision come to life. I’m so glad we had Kellie Kano and Elysium Productions there to capture the entire wedding weekend.

Our first dance was definitely one of my favorite moments. Our song, “Alive,” by Empire of the Sun, is very fast-paced. Will and I didn’t practice at all, and ended up trying to do the box step to EDM. By the second verse, we dropped formalities and just danced. Then, once the chorus started, we invited everyone to come join us out on the dance floor. I remember looking around and seeing our closest family and friends all jumping, dancing, singing along, laughing and reveling in the thrill of the moment. Standing in the middle of all that energy was incredible; we were so overwhelmingly full of love and I’ve never felt anything like it before.

The father-daughter dance was also really emotional because we danced to a song my dad sang to me as a lullaby growing up, “After the Goldrush,” by Neil Young. After a delicious meal and listening to thoughtful toasts, everyone was back on the dance floor for the rest of the evening. For our exit, Will and I rode off in a golf cart and surprised everyone as ground fireworks went off, lighting the path as we drove away under the night sky. I have the happiest memories from my wedding weekend. I am so grateful to my parents for giving me my dream wedding, and so thankful to all of our guests who joined us in celebrating our eternal love. It was nothing short of magical. I will remember it forever.