Their $40,000 dream wedding went down the drain - you won’t believe what happened next!
- Replies 5
As they say, once you hit rock bottom, the only way is up.
But how much bad luck can you stand before you give up?
One Aussie couple were pretty close to finding out.
Lauren and Nick Jackson have a story for the books: they met in high school, where they fell in love.
Through thick and thin, they nurtured their relationship for the next 14 years.
One day in 2021, as the world seemed like it was just another disaster away from ending, Nick took Lauren for a surprise camping trip.
After setting up camp, Lauren was shocked to find Nick bent down on his knee.
‘I thought something was wrong!’ she recalled.
It was then that Nick revealed he had a ring — one he’d very much love for Lauren to wear, provided she answered favourably to the age-old question ‘Will you marry me?’
Lauren, in between tears, said ‘Yes.’
What happened next was a whirlwind for the couple, who immediately took to planning their dream wedding.
Everything was set up and ready to go — all that was left was for the wedding to happen in their chosen venue: Echuca-Moama, Victoria!
The place was a decent drive away from Broken Hill, where most of their family and friends were from.
‘Everyone we know is either from a property or they work in town and we just wanted them to all be able to go away for a weekend and have a really good time,’ Lauren said.
‘We did not want anyone stressed, didn't want anyone worried.’
Sadly for the couple, they were the ones who would be doing all the stressing and worrying.
Days before their wedding on Friday, October 21, Victoria’s Murray-Darling Basin saw record rainfall which meant their plans were in danger.
Together with a few relatives, Nick and Lauren trooped to the venue.
Once they arrived, one thing was clear: no dream weddings would happen anytime soon.
‘We were on site and could see how much the river had risen overnight… we were just so disappointed that we couldn't have it there, but it wasn't meant to be,’ Lauren said.
Like any couple would be well within their rights to do, Nick and Lauren could have moved to claim around $40,000 they spent to prepare for their wedding.
But they didn’t, because locals needed the money more.
‘It would be pretty rude of us if we were to try and still have our wedding down there and take accommodation and food away from people who might need it more than us.’ Lauren said.
‘Their personal lives had been turned upside down. It was understandable that we weren't going to get a full refund.’
Accepting their sad fate, the couple gave up.
And then, something — more aptly, someone — happened: Nick’s sister-in-law.
Despite being heavily pregnant, the gem of a relative rallied friends, family, and other members of Broken Hill to put up what previously took months of careful planning.
When the morning of their wedding dawned, everything seemed in disarray. The rain was showing no signs of stopping too.
Lauren even told Nick: ‘I really don’t mind if it’s just you and I and the celebrant out on the flats somewhere.’
‘Everyone else was freaking out,’ she added.
But thirty minutes before their now-impromptu ceremony started, the skies cleared.
And so, Nick and Lauren married.
As if to show the weather’s approval, the same clear skies held until the couple flew to Hamilton Island for their honeymoon.
Lauren chose to take the middle seat on the plane as she was nervous. As Nick sat in the window seat, she noticed something sticking out of the seat in front of her.
Upon a closer look, she found that it was a flyer (on a plane, no less!) for Virgin Australia’s Middle Seat Lottery.
‘I flipped over to have a look and it had the information on how to enter.’
‘I thought, “I'm feeling pretty lucky, we'll give it a go” but I normally never enter those things.’
The next odd pamphlet went forgotten for the next few days as the two enjoyed marital bliss.
Then, Nick noticed an email in Lauren’s inbox.
‘I went and had a look, but I was too scared to get excited in case it wasn't legit… I thought, “Maybe it's a scam”.’ Lauren said.
Giving weight to her doubts, she ignored the email entirely… until another couple of days, when her phone rang.
Believe it or not, after their luck (and the lack thereof beforehand) with their wild wedding weekend, they won the airline’s lottery!
Nick and Lauren won two premium economy tickets to Miami, USA, and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship trip in the Caribbean.
Dumbstruck by their good fortune, Lauren was in disbelief.
‘I thought we'd gone on our monumental holiday. I thought our honeymoon was our big trip,’ she said.
‘This doesn't happen to people like us, we're just goat farmers! We don't go to Miami and on cruises… I was just so excited, I still can't believe it, really.’
What an unbelievable sequence of events for the two!
We’re just hoping Nick and Lauren have more good fortune in the years to come!
Speaking of weddings going awry, a guest at another one raised more than a few eyebrows with what she wore, while this cake had a topper that was hard to look at.
What is your reaction to Nick and Laura’s wedding experience?
Tell us your thoughts below!
Source: Facebook/Virgin Australia
But how much bad luck can you stand before you give up?
One Aussie couple were pretty close to finding out.
Lauren and Nick Jackson have a story for the books: they met in high school, where they fell in love.
Through thick and thin, they nurtured their relationship for the next 14 years.
One day in 2021, as the world seemed like it was just another disaster away from ending, Nick took Lauren for a surprise camping trip.
After setting up camp, Lauren was shocked to find Nick bent down on his knee.
‘I thought something was wrong!’ she recalled.
Lauren and Nick Jackson have quite a story to tell their kids someday. Screengrab Credit: Facebook/Virgin Australia
It was then that Nick revealed he had a ring — one he’d very much love for Lauren to wear, provided she answered favourably to the age-old question ‘Will you marry me?’
Lauren, in between tears, said ‘Yes.’
What happened next was a whirlwind for the couple, who immediately took to planning their dream wedding.
Everything was set up and ready to go — all that was left was for the wedding to happen in their chosen venue: Echuca-Moama, Victoria!
The place was a decent drive away from Broken Hill, where most of their family and friends were from.
‘Everyone we know is either from a property or they work in town and we just wanted them to all be able to go away for a weekend and have a really good time,’ Lauren said.
‘We did not want anyone stressed, didn't want anyone worried.’
Sadly for the couple, they were the ones who would be doing all the stressing and worrying.
Days before their wedding on Friday, October 21, Victoria’s Murray-Darling Basin saw record rainfall which meant their plans were in danger.
Together with a few relatives, Nick and Lauren trooped to the venue.
Once they arrived, one thing was clear: no dream weddings would happen anytime soon.
Australia saw record rainfall in October which caused widespread flooding. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/9 News Australia
‘We were on site and could see how much the river had risen overnight… we were just so disappointed that we couldn't have it there, but it wasn't meant to be,’ Lauren said.
Like any couple would be well within their rights to do, Nick and Lauren could have moved to claim around $40,000 they spent to prepare for their wedding.
But they didn’t, because locals needed the money more.
‘It would be pretty rude of us if we were to try and still have our wedding down there and take accommodation and food away from people who might need it more than us.’ Lauren said.
‘Their personal lives had been turned upside down. It was understandable that we weren't going to get a full refund.’
Accepting their sad fate, the couple gave up.
And then, something — more aptly, someone — happened: Nick’s sister-in-law.
Despite being heavily pregnant, the gem of a relative rallied friends, family, and other members of Broken Hill to put up what previously took months of careful planning.
When the morning of their wedding dawned, everything seemed in disarray. The rain was showing no signs of stopping too.
Lauren even told Nick: ‘I really don’t mind if it’s just you and I and the celebrant out on the flats somewhere.’
‘Everyone else was freaking out,’ she added.
But thirty minutes before their now-impromptu ceremony started, the skies cleared.
And so, Nick and Lauren married.
As if to show the weather’s approval, the same clear skies held until the couple flew to Hamilton Island for their honeymoon.
Nick and Lauren’s change of luck didn’t end with their wedding. Screengrab Credit: Facebook/Virgin Australia
Lauren chose to take the middle seat on the plane as she was nervous. As Nick sat in the window seat, she noticed something sticking out of the seat in front of her.
Upon a closer look, she found that it was a flyer (on a plane, no less!) for Virgin Australia’s Middle Seat Lottery.
‘I flipped over to have a look and it had the information on how to enter.’
‘I thought, “I'm feeling pretty lucky, we'll give it a go” but I normally never enter those things.’
The next odd pamphlet went forgotten for the next few days as the two enjoyed marital bliss.
Then, Nick noticed an email in Lauren’s inbox.
‘I went and had a look, but I was too scared to get excited in case it wasn't legit… I thought, “Maybe it's a scam”.’ Lauren said.
Giving weight to her doubts, she ignored the email entirely… until another couple of days, when her phone rang.
Believe it or not, after their luck (and the lack thereof beforehand) with their wild wedding weekend, they won the airline’s lottery!
Nick and Lauren won two premium economy tickets to Miami, USA, and a Virgin Voyages cruise ship trip in the Caribbean.
Dumbstruck by their good fortune, Lauren was in disbelief.
‘I thought we'd gone on our monumental holiday. I thought our honeymoon was our big trip,’ she said.
Lauren, who noticed the flyer that eventually won them prizes in Virgin Australia’s lottery, could not believe their luck. Screengrab Credit: Facebook/Virgin Australia
‘This doesn't happen to people like us, we're just goat farmers! We don't go to Miami and on cruises… I was just so excited, I still can't believe it, really.’
What an unbelievable sequence of events for the two!
Who knows, it could be karma for choosing not to go after their money to give flood victims some help — or they’re just a really lucky pair.We’re just hoping Nick and Lauren have more good fortune in the years to come!
What is your reaction to Nick and Laura’s wedding experience?
Tell us your thoughts below!
Source: Facebook/Virgin Australia
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