Heartbroken bride cancels $30,000 wedding, throws an 'elite dinner' for the homeless instead

A woman from Carmel, Indiana, turned her heartbreak into an act of kindness after calling off her wedding just days before the ceremony. Instead of letting the $30,000 reception she had planned go to waste, she decided to share it with those in need — the city’s homeless community. Sarah Cummins, a 25-year-old Purdue University pharmacy student from Carmel, had spent the past few years working weekends and logging overtime alongside her fiancé, Logan Araujo, to save for the elaborate celebration, reported IndyStar. However, just a week before the ceremony, they called off the wedding for reasons they prefer not to share, leaving them both with broken hearts and a nonrefundable contract.

"It was really devastating," Cummins told the IndyStar. "I called everyone, canceled, apologized, cried, called vendors, cried some more, and then I started feeling really sick about just throwing away all the food I ordered for the reception." It was then that she considered using the food to help those less fortunate. "I will at least have some kind of happy memory to pull from. I’ve worked so many weekends and so much overtime to pay for this, I wanted to make sure it would be the perfect wedding," she said. After discussing the idea with Araujo, she reached out to Ritz Charles event planner Maddie LaDow to rearrange the reception, removing the head table, cake table, and gift table. She then began contacting homeless shelters in Indianapolis and Noblesville.

With help from friends, Cummins arranged for two buses to bring about 150 shelter residents and their families to the venue. She and her mother planned to arrive early to set up gold Eiffel Tower vases with roses, centerpieces she had designed herself. On the menu were bourbon-glazed meatballs, goat cheese and roasted garlic bruschetta, chicken breast with artichokes in Chardonnay cream sauce, and wedding cake for dessert. Dayspring Center development director Cheryl Herzog, one of those contacted, was deeply moved by the gesture. "I was so touched that Sarah had taken a painful experience and turned it into a joyful one for families in need. It is truly a very kind gesture on her part," she said.

"I wanted to make sure it would be the perfect wedding," Cummins reiterated. Event planner LaDow said, "Some people throw parties, some completely walk away, but none have ever done anything this charitable," she said. Cummins’s decision is a prominent display of giving people who are often left out a chance to be part of a warm, welcoming community event can make them feel valued, less alone, and emotionally stronger. A 2005 study shows that homeless individuals who join social and cultural activities experience less anxiety and depression, gain confidence, and build important social connections. These kinds of experiences help fight the isolation and stress that many homeless people face every day.

Araujo, who was still processing the couple’s split and mourning the recent death of his mother, Kimberly Araujo, called Cummins’s choice remarkable. "I’m happy through my grief and also Sarah’s that she was able to make a selfless and very thoughtful decision in such a hard time," he said. He expressed hope that his late mother would be remembered at the dinner. When the evening concluded, she intended to leave for her pre-booked honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. While she originally planned to go by herself, she later explained that she would instead be going with her mother. "My ex-fiancé was kind enough to transfer his tickets to my mom," she said.

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