A Texas woman who broke off her engagement gave away her wedding venue, with the lucky couple she gave it too also receiving a number of other donated services.
Kolbie Sanders shared the reasons behind her decision to give away the venue, worth $3,500, on Oct. 14, saying: “This is for couples who can’t afford a fancy venue or for couples who are spending too much money on their kids to be able to afford a nice wedding. This is for couples who love each other and will continue to choose each other for the rest of their lives.”
The wedding venue agreed to the giveaway, while more companies contacted Sanders to offer services to the couple she gave the venue away to.
Those included a photographer, a baker, and a salon.
In the footage above, which broadcast live on Oct. 15, Sanders picked out the winning bride-to-be, Halie Hipsher, from a bowl filled with strangers’ names. Hipsher, who was entered into the competition by various friends, had originally planned to get married in the fall of 2019.
She called off her wedding — then gave it away to a bride she had never met,Godbless this Woman right here #GodIsGood???????? #payitforward #SeethemRedFlagsCallitOff #SmartGurl???????? https://t.co/fRavI4TQ4h
— GodsGirl (@GodIgetitnow) October 19, 2018
‘Really Excited’
“When I chose her name, I was really excited,” Sanders told the Washington Post about Hipsher. ”I immediately remembered her story, so I was really happy for her.”
Sanders heard from hundreds of couples as well as friends and family members of couples. They sent her stories, and she read them and wrote down the names of the ones that touched her.
Then she did the live drawing.
Sanders said she wrote down Hipsher’s name because the bride-to-be had told her that her grandfather was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer and she didn’t know if he’d still be around in 2019.
“She ended up telling me how winning this wedding would let her pawpaw attend her wedding,” she said.
Wedding in a week: former bride-to-be selects couple for wedding venue after breaking off engagement: https://t.co/1PmUSzGZvQ pic.twitter.com/TzGIrPaYWK
— KTRE News (@KTREnews) October 19, 2018
Hipsher Responds
Hipsher later appeared in her own Facebook Live video, thanking Sanders and inviting her to attend the wedding.
“Went today to check out the venue!! It is so beautiful, and thank you so much for helping get a wedding coordinator to help out! Beyond grateful for everything!” Hipsher wrote on Facebook.
“And huge thank you for everyone that is donating things to make our huge day possible! And I give credit to this amazing woman that has the biggest heart! I will also make a post with everyone that has helped out!”
Hipsher of Canton told KLTV that she met her soon-to-be-husband through a mutual friend and that their first date was at a drive-in movie theater.
“He jumped in the truck, and I remembered this quote about looking into someone’s eyes and knowing they’re going to impact your life,” Hipsher said. “And it was instant. As soon as he jumped in the car, I was like, ‘This is it.’”
Video Credit: Kolbie Sanders via Storyful
