When Her Husband-to-Be Backs Out of Wedding, She Puts Aside Heartbreak and Does Something 'Really Fun' With Reception

A jilted bride decided to make sure something good came out of her broken engagement by donating her wedding reception to the homeless, according to Seattle’s KIRO-TV.

AP/The News & Observer, Robert Willett

After spending more than a year planning her wedding, Dana Olsen’s fiance called off the wedding six weeks before the big day.

"Pretty much immediately I thought about the fact that my family had paid for almost the entire wedding, and I knew we wouldn't be able to get most of it back," Olden told Seattle’s KING-TV. "So after the shock of what had happened wore off, I started to think about what to do. It just felt really terrible and wasteful and awful to just have all that money and this beautiful event that wasn't going to happen. I just couldn't stand the thought of it being wasted."

After realizing that she wouldn’t be able to get a refund, Olsen decided to give a special evening to the residents of Mary's Place Shelter in Seattle.

"I love that hopefully a lot of people will have a really fun night," Olsen said. "I just want it to be really fun. I mean, if we can't have a good night, I hope that they have a great time."

According to KING, 150 guests attended the reception. When the community heard of Olsen’s generosity, others donated dresses and jewelry for the women and children to wear.

The residents enjoyed a catered dinner and a live band.

Residents and volunteers were moved by the bride’s generosity in the face of heartbreak.

Lauren Grinnell, a hairstylist who helped the guests get ready and who often volunteers at the shelter herself, told KIRO that the bride “dodged a bullet.”

“It wasn’t meant to be,” Grinnell said. “Close the door and open a new one. That’s how I look at life.”

Last year, Kari Duane, another bride whose wedding was called off, also donated her reception for the homeless to enjoy.