I planned my wedding in 2 days so my dying dad could see me down the aisle
A couple planned their wedding in just two days after the bride found out her dad’s cancer had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.
Mary Grace Quigley couldn’t imagine her wedding without her dad walking her down the aisle.
In November 2022, her father, Barry, 79, was diagnosed with a stage four cancerous tumor in his neck, which had originally started as skin cancer before spreading to his lymph nodes.
The retired teacher was soon informed that his skin cancer spread to his lymph nodes and he only had a couple of months to live — and doctors advised against an operation.
Devastated by the thought that her dad wouldn’t see her get married, Mary, 33, proposed to her partner Thomas Stapledon, 34, on the phone — since he was infected with Covid-19 at the time — in December of last year.
“We agreed if we had the opportunity to have all our parents there, we wanted to do it and have that special moment,” Mary, an online content creator from Adelaide, Australia, told South West News Service.
“I wanted my dad to know my husband is looking after me so it’s OK if he isn’t there. I thought it might give him more peace.”
The first marriage officiant they reached out to was fully booked six months in advance, but after hearing the reason behind the short notice, they reached out to others in the area who could help, and they soon had a date in the books.
“That same afternoon we went to her, and she got all the paperwork ready,” Mary shared.
Both families got together to research how to put on a last-minute wedding and did so in less than a week so Barry could attend in his best shape — thought Stapledon remained reticent of the shotgun wedding until just two days prior.
The wedding was set for Christmas Eve.
Mary took a white dress she already owned but had never won out of the back of her closet to wear as her wedding gown, Stapledon’s mom Rosemary and aunt Shirley Quinn took care of the last-minute cake, and a family friend did a barbecue for their 50 guests.
“We had recently moved to somewhere with a big backyard, so it came together perfectly when we were planning it last minute,” Mary shared.
The night before the wedding, the families decorated their back garden in the dark. Everyone also brought cutlery and chairs from home to make sure all bases were covered.
“So many people helped make that happen,” Mary said. “It’s very heartwarming and emotional how many people contributed.”
Everything was ready the morning of and the day went exactly how they wanted it to.
“On the day, we wouldn’t have wanted it to be any different — everything went perfectly. It’s heartwarming and emotional to think of how many people contributed to make that happen,” Mary said. “It was absolutely perfect. We didn’t give anyone any notice to come but everyone came — a friend came from interstate.”
“It was so perfect and never would have happened if we weren’t in this horrible situation with my dad, so it was kind of a happy ending.”
Despite all odds, Barry lived past his prognosis and is still battling cancer — thanks to a friend of the family who heard their story.
Barry underwent surgery to remove the tumor on Jan. 20, 2023, and at the end of July, found out through follow-up scans that the cancer was gone.
This miracle was all in part a result of the wedding festivities.
“I almost can’t believe it. If we didn’t get married, my sister-in-law would never have had that conversation. So, dad wouldn’t have had the surgery and he wouldn’t be here now,” Mary said. “Our wedding was already amazing, but knowing it sort of saved my dad’s life truly made it the best day ever.”
Barry added, “Everybody there seemed to think it was the best wedding they’ve ever been to. I don’t know if that happens at every wedding!”
