The Temecula Wedding Community Came Together to Give This Couple a Surprise Wedding

They say charity starts at home. And, it turns out, Temecula has one big-hearted community.

It came together to give Kyle and Rachel the gift of a lifetime: a surprise wedding. When the couple discovered Kyle had stage-four colon cancer, they saw no other option than to divert their nuptials to a courthouse ceremony before he started his chemotherapy.

That’s when Rachel’s dear friend and wedding planner extraordinarie Cara Goset (of Michelle Garibay Events) jumped in. Unbeknownst to the couple, Goset pulled together their wedding in just three weeks—and rallied local vendors to donate their services out of the kindness of their hearts.

The generous creative team broke the news to Kyle and Rachel on Christmas Day, with each member sharing a video introducing themselves, explaining the services they’d provide, and, most importantly, reminding the bride and groom of what date to save. Callaway Winery lent its rustic property; Allie Lindsey was on photo duty; Friar Tux supplied the groom with his navy suit; Laura Marie’s baked up a two-tier, gold-flaked cake; and the red-as-wine florals were courtesy of RSVP Floral Design and Soirée Floral Design.

In spite of the difficulties they faced, Rachel says, “Our hearts were overflowing with joy; every person lifted us up to shine a ray of light into our life.” The best moment of all, she adds, was the end of the day, “when we were husband and wife.”

A Labor of Love

A quote from the video that informed the couple of their surprise wedding summed up the whole ordeal perfectly: “Life is too short to not have everything you’ve dreamed of.”