Elyce Fulford, 31, and her partner Justin, from Melbourne, had been together for 16 years but had never been able to afford the wedding of their dreams.
With three children under seven and a single income, the couple had shifted a wedding to the bottom of the priority list.
But when Mrs Fulford’s father, Hugh, 71, suffered an almost fatal infection in December due to cancer complications, Mr Fulford insisted they marry as soon as possible so Hugh could walk his daughter down the aisle.
And thanks to the help of a generous community and one very kind business owner, Mrs Fulford was walking down the aisle on the arm of her proud father within just six weeks.
This is the moment a father with terminal cancer was able to walk his daughter down the aisle after a wedding was pulled together within just six weeks
Elyce Fulford, 31, and her partner Justin, from Melbourne, had been together for 16 years but had never been able to afford the wedding of their dreams (pictured with their three children)
‘My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 and was given a five year timeframe so at the moment we are just taking things day by day,’ Mrs Fulford told FEMAIL.
‘In December an infection of the bladder nearly killed him and after that Justin came home and said “We are getting married”.
‘We had never had enough money to do anything like that so I was shocked but Justin wanted to see Dad walk me down the aisle and for me to have that moment. He said we would pull it off no matter what it took.’
The pair started planning that night and within a matter of hours, they had a celebrant and a date.
‘My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012 and was given a five year time frame so at the moment we are just taking things day by day,’ Mrs Fulford told FEMAIL
‘In December an infection of the bladder nearly killed him and after that Justin came home and said “We are getting married”,’ she said
While a March wedding was the plan, the pair decided to move it forward given Hugh’s condition.
Dad was absolutely gobsmacked when he saw me in my dress.
Mrs Fulford then went on Facebook and posted in the Healthy Mummy support group – a support page related to a weight loss program she had been following for 17 months.
‘I had lost 22 kilograms with the program and the support page was really amazing so I posted asking if any of the women had any recommendations for cheap wedding dresses as I only could budget around $300,’ she said.
‘Immediately I was flooded with messages from women offering to loan or give their dresses to me – the support from them is just one in a million.
‘We had never had enough money to do anything like that but Justin wanted to see Dad walk me down the aisle and for me to have that moment,’ Mrs Fulford said
Founder of Healthy Mummy, Rhian, surprised Mrs Fulford with a bunch of flowers and offered to buy her wedding dress after she spotted a post from her asking for cheap dress suggestions
‘I couldn’t stop crying – I never ask for anything and I didn’t know how to handle it. It was just so wonderful and generous,’ she said
‘I did want a new dress though because you only get married once.’
The next morning, Mrs Fulford discovered a message in her inbox from one of the Healthy Mummy team members asking for her address as they wanted to send her something.
A week later, she returned home after school pickup to find a large bunch of flowers and a note from the owner, Rhian Allen.
‘She said congratulations on our upcoming wedding and said she wanted to buy me a dress,’ Mrs Fulford said.
Mrs Fulford said she attended fittings soon afterwards and when she tried on a third dress, she knew it was ‘the one’ and said she felt absolutely beautiful
When the couple surprised Hugh with the news of their fast tracked wedding, he was absolutely blown away and couldn’t wait to be there by their sides
‘I couldn’t stop crying – I never ask for anything and I didn’t know how to handle it. It was just so wonderful and generous.’
Mrs Fulford said she attended fittings soon afterwards and when she tried on a third dress, she knew it was ‘the one’.
‘I just had that feeling, I felt so beautiful and I just knew immediately that this was the dress for me. It was thousands of dollars and it was beyond anything I could have ever afforded,’ she said.
The company also donated money towards the wedding itself.
On January 19, Mr and Mrs Fulford said ‘I do’ in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the western suburbs of Melbourne in front of 40 guests
‘Dad was so chuffed we were able to do it and he was absolutely gobsmacked when he saw me in my dress,’ she said
When the couple surprised Hugh with the news of their fast tracked wedding, he was absolutely blown away and couldn’t wait to be there by their sides.
On January 19, Mr and Mrs Fulford said ‘I do’ in a beautiful outdoor ceremony in the western suburbs of Melbourne in front of 40 guests.
‘Dad was so chuffed we were able to do it and he was absolutely gobsmacked when he saw me in my dress. He is a man of few words but he said he was proud and you could tell he was really happy to be there with me,’ Mrs Fulford said.
‘He is a man of few words but he said he was proud and you could tell he was really happy to be there with me,’ Mrs Fulford said
‘Mum said he was thrilled and spoke about how awesome it was that night and how happy he was that Justin and I finally got married.’
‘The whole community really came together for me and I just can’t express how thankful I am. Without Rhian and my amazing friends and family and Dad who chipped in once he knew the wedding was happening, there’s no way we could have done this.
‘It was truly wonderful and it just shows the difference an act of kindness can make.’