Heartbreaking story behind photos of bride in her wedding dress
On what was meant to be the happiest day of her life, one bride has spent her emotional wedding day beside the grave of her husband-to-be.
Jessica Padgett was 10 months away from marrying the man of her dreams, volunteer firefighter Kendall Murphy, when he was hit and killed by an alleged drunk driver.
The crash, on November 10, 2017, occurred while Mr Murphy was helping a crash victim near his home in Indiana, US. He was killed instantly.
The community was shattered by his death, with the local fire department adorning the station with red lights in tribute to their fallen colleague.
Instead of cancelling the entire wedding, Ms Padgett decided to keep her booking with her photographer, Mandi Knepp, in the hopes that it would help her heal her loss.
“I already had my dress bought and other things, and I still wanted to contribute to my wedding day,” Ms Padgett told Global News.
On September 29, 2018 – the day the couple were meant to be married – Ms Padgett dressed in her wedding gown and had her makeup and hair done.
A series of touching photographs show the young bride-to-be with her family and in-laws – including the moment Mr Murphy’s mother presents the bride with the groom’s favourite, well-worn cowboy boots.
Attached the boots was a note that read: “Whatever path you take, your guardian angel will always be there for you. Love, Kendall.”
In perhaps the most emotional image, Ms Padgett is seen kneeling in front of her fiancee’s grave, resting her head on the tombstone.
After the photos were uploaded to Facebook, Ms Padgett began receiving messages of support from kind strangers, many of whom had been through similar circumstances.
“I’m kind of blessed that I did it, because different people have been telling me how they have been struggling and seeing my pictures kind of brought strength and comfort,” she said.
“In the end, I’m glad I did it because now I can look back at those memories that Mandi took, and the ways I got to honour Kendall and be with Kendall and see all the support I had that day.”
Mr Murphy was honoured at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service in Washington DC on Sunday.
