A couple who survived the living nightmare that was the Unite The Right March in Charlottesville, Virginia, received the wedding of their dreams — for free.
Marcus Martin may not be a household name, but many saw a photo of him being struck by a car that plowed through a crowd of people protesting the August 2017 right-wing, extremist march. The photo was captured milliseconds after Martin pushed his fiancée Marissa Blair out of the vehicle's way.
“I just had a reaction, not even a thought, just reacting. I can't even explain it,” Martin told NBC 29.
Last Saturday, Blair and Martin were married; and thanks to 30 generous vendors, their whole wedding was free.
Wedding planner Christina Moore said she was moved to help the couple after hearing their story in the news, the New York Daily News reports.
"I was like, listen, we can't help them in the courtroom," Moore said. "We can't fight the KKK. But we're in the business of beautiful days. We can do this."
After Blair accepted Moore's offer of free wedding planning services, Moore got to work bringing other vendors onboard, convincing them to donate their services as well.
The couple honored their friend, Heather Heyer, who was killed by the car that hit Martin by choosing her favorite color, purple, as their wedding color. Heyer’s mother, Susan Bro, took part in the celebration, releasing butterflies during the ceremony to honor her daughter.
“Without Heather, this wouldn’t be possible; and if Heather was still here, Heather would definitely be here on the front row,” said Blair.
According to Blair, the wedding is proof that love will overcome hate.
“It proves hate won't win, and it proves that there are more good people in the world than there are bad, and that love will win,” Marissa said.
The driver of the car that hit Martin and Heyer, James Alex Fields Jr., has been charged with first-degree murder and other offenses related to the incident. He is facing life in prison.
