The Mother of the Bride is an important role in a wedding, and for people like Judy, it can be about a lot more than just a wedding.
Judy, mother of three, was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2012. With the full support of her family, she was treated at Johns Hopkins and fought the disease aggressively. By grace of God, her brother, Jay, was a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant. The transplant was successful, and today Judy is considered cured of the disease.
Three years after her transplant, Judy's oldest daughter was engaged to be married. To celebrate their daughter's wedding day, Judy's husband, Jeff, wanted to have a couture pair of earrings made for her. Judy sent a photo of her dress as inspiration for the earrings, and sketches were made. The first sketch of the earrings was exactly what she wanted, and the artist went to work on the earrings. The final piece was beautiful and matched the dress perfectly.
During the wedding planning process, Judy's husband, Jeff, was diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma. In turn, Judy supported her husband in his fight, and he finished his cancer treatment the week before the wedding.
A pair of earrings is not always JUST a pair of earrings; it can be a gift to say "I love you" or "I'm proud of you", and sometimes, someone just deserves something nice that was made just for them. It was important to Judy that she not stand out as a "cancer survivor," but she wanted to stand out as the mother of the bride. The wedding was a celebration of life for the family--a family who has supported each other through some really tough times. My family.
All wedding photos taken by Heather Tabacchi