Most little girls dream about what their wedding will look like some day, and although that special day may be far in the future, they know in their hearts that it will be beautiful. There’ll be a big cake, lots of food, and everyone she has ever loved will be there to celebrate her union to the person she loves. Unfortunately, life tends to throw a curve ball when we’re experiencing our happiest moments, and there are some rare instances when a wedding can be bittersweet. Just ask Brittany Marr, who knows how unfair life can be, especially when she was supposed to marry the one she loved, but knew she’d be mourning in less than no time.Although Ellen had been diagnosed with breast cancer, doctors had it under control, meaning, there was no doubt that she’d be well enough to attend Brittany’s wedding. Then, everything changed.
The two had an inseparable bond, but when Brittany got a call that her gram’s cancer had spread to her bones, she worried that she wouldn’t be there. But Ellen was determined to see Brittany in her wedding dress no matter what.
The breast cancer, which had spread to Ellen’s back, was destroying the bones in her back, causing nothing but pain, according to Brittany’s Facebook post. But that best pain reliever was a good laugh, a good cry, and some quality time between these two.
In addition to chemo and radiation, Ellen was forced to sleep in a contraption the family called a turtle shell to keep her spine from deteriorating, which led to months of restless nights and discomfort.
Ellen wanted to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding and she assured Brittany that everything would be fine, despite the grim diagnosis and the aggressive treatments the doctors had given Ellen.
She wanted most of those moments to include her grandmother, like this tender moment where they’re exchanging beautiful letters that show love and gratitude for each other.
We assume that our family will always be there for us, but then something like a horrible cancer diagnosis can make you realize just how precious moments like putting a pearl necklace around your gram’s neck can be.
Copper + Pine photographer Mikayla Miller took a step back and allowed the two to spend quality time with each other while she took portraits of the two in their finest moments.
The bride had changed into her gown and Ellen had changed into a wedding outfit as well. When Brittany showed Ellen what she looked like in her wedding dress, there was so much joy that it brought tears to Miller’s eyes.
But it wasn’t always smiles and laughter. There was also sadness too because they both knew that while something new was about to begin, something else was about to end and Brittany wished she could hold on to her grams forever.
It’s true that both of these women were about to head down a separate path to fulfill their destinies, but for now, there was one last thing these two needed to do, and that was to celebrate.
Whatever the future held, at this moment, the only thing that mattered was that they were celebrating and they were happy. It was a moment that Brittany was going to treasure for the rest of her life.
Everyone knew that Ellen would have been too weak by this point to dance with her granddaughter by this point. She might not have even been around, which is why Brittany decided to do the shoot, show grandma her dress, and dance with her.
While Ellen’s condition hasn’t changed, she managed to hang on long enough to attend Brittany’s wedding and dance once again with her granddaughter at her actual wedding three months later. Fortunately, they also have a photo shoot to immortalize their special moment together.
