Caption : Bride Emily Bugg prepares Thanksgiving meal packages for delivery to people with serious mental illnesses or substance abuse conditions.
(CNN)Most brides and grooms-to-be have had to scale back wedding plans as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with shorter guest lists, canceled venues and smaller receptions.
But Emily Bugg and Billy Lewis of Chicago had an idea to pivot their wedding celebrations to something even better — by giving back to others.
Bugg and Lewis had been planning a large wedding reception for family and friends, but with the pandemic getting worse, they realized their big day wouldn’t happen as planned. The couple got married last month in a small city hall ceremony, with only a photographer.
Suddenly, the couple had no venue, no reception and no guests, but they still had a $5,000 catering deposit. So, they asked their caterer if they could turn the wedding food into donated Thanksgiving dinners for those in need.
Nonprofit Thresholds would typically host a Thanksgiving meal for clients in need, but they had to cancel the feast this year due to the pandemic.
The newlyweds and the catering company helped serve 200 meals to people with serious mental illnesses and substance use conditions.
“In the grand scheme of things, canceling a big wedding isn’t the worst thing that could happen,” said Bugg in a statement. “We’re happy to be married, and we’re so happy that we could help Thresholds’ clients feel the connection of a Thanksgiving meal as a result of the wedding cancellation.”
