Strangers give brides unbelievable surprise after wedding disaster: 'The stars aligned perfectly'
Amber Plyler and Kate Mang didn’t get the wedding they expected, but they may have gotten something even more meaningful.
The Charleston, S.C., women, who had planned to elope to a nearby beach last Friday, had their plans completely demolished when a massive rainstorm hit the coast. But thanks to the kindness of their friends — and several complete strangers — they managed to move their wedding to a new, if not unconventional, venue.
According to a Facebook post from Charleston Weddings magazine, which originally shared the couple’s heartwarming story, Plyler and Mang first met while at Starbucks. So, one of their friends decided, what better wedding location than at the coffee chain’s nearest location?
"So essentially our wedding was almost fully comprised of Starbucks partners plus close friends, our photographer Kaity Hughs, and our children," Plyler told HuffPost. "So it seemed like a perfectly fitting idea to see if a local Starbucks would allow a short ceremony."
One of the couple’s friends, who was also a Starbucks manager, reportedly called the manager at a Starbucks in Mount Pleasant — a town just miles from the original wedding location — and got permission to use a spare room. The coffee shop’s staff immediately went to work, moving around furniture and stripping away Christmas decorations.
Credit: Hannah Chillag
Meanwhile, Melissa Bigner, editor of Charleston Weddings, overheard the commotion while from inside the Mount Pleasant Starbucks. Despite not knowing either bride, she decided to chip in too, calling an event planner friend who brought over an aisle runner and macrame wall hanging.
Bigner added a decorative umbrella from her car, and one attendee rushed to grab a cello, so there would be music to accompany the ceremony.
"These people had never met us and they just dove in to help salvage our wedding day," Mang told HuffPost. "They helped to make it the most magical day of our lives. It truly meant the world to us."
The wedding seemingly went off without a hitch, with friends and family flooding into the café as bystanders looked on with their lattés. Plyler and Mang even got to share a romantic moment as they sat with their cake and matching beverages.
Credit: Melissa Bigner
Ultimately, the surprising turn of events led to a near-perfect wedding for the couple.
"The stars aligned perfectly," Mang told HuffPost. "Along with the help of our best friends and an amazing group of Starbucks partners — we truly did have the best day ever!"
Credit: Hannah Chillag
