N.C. Couple, Who Canceled Nuptials Due to Hurricane Helene, Donates Wedding Food to Those in Need

A North Carolina couple whose dream wedding plans got derailed by Hurricane Helene — opted to redirect their efforts to help those in need.

Jessica Beebe and Will Landacre had planned to say “I do” in Independence, Virginia over the Sept. 27 weekend however, Hurricane Helene had other plans as the storm caused flooding to their home, according to WGHP-TV and WGMY News.

“The creek overran the bank and just came to the house. That flooded some of the rooms that we were supposed to have our guests stay in,” Beebe told WGHP-TV.

This prompted the couple to cancel their rehearsal dinner scheduled for Sept. 27. Though they were hopeful that the wedding would be able to go on the next day, their plans were quickly dashed when they discovered the extent of the damage the storm caused. 

“Landacre was out clearing trees. I was helping the hostess and her sister. We were trying to … sweep water and mud off the property,” Beebe recalled to WGHP-TV. 

She noted that it eventually became clear that they needed to cancel the wedding, telling WGMY News, "There was nothing in me that felt like I could stop and go get a wedding dress on and go get married.”

Nearby hotels and Airbnbs canceled their guests' reservations and the company that had been planning to cater their wedding wasn’t able to get to their venue, according to the outlets. 

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The pair eventually decided that they should redirect their planned orders — which had been able to feed about 60 people for the ceremony to instead help those impacted by the storm. They set up a serving area in the parking lot of a local grocery store and served the food planned for their reception to strangers in need.

“Our host … is very well connected, so she put the word out, and some people were able to come out and get food,” Landacre told WGHP-TV.

He told the outlet that a large crowd of people — many of whom who did not have any power — showed up, and they ended up running out of food. He said one person even told him that they had a “tree fall” on their house, per the outlet. 

Beebe and Landacre noted it was just a small thing they could do to help their community that had suffered huge losses under Hurricane Helene.

They told WGMY News that they planned to follow through with their plans to go on their honeymoon and planned to reschedule their wedding after they returned. 

"We're very grateful that we're safe and still going to get married,” Landacre told the outlet. “We hope that other people can keep pitching in like they have to help clean up some of this damage.”

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