Ohio newlyweds turned their canceled reception into an act of service by donating the food to a local women’s shelter.
Before the pandemic hit, Tyler and Melanie Tapajna, of Parma, Ohio, had arranged to celebrate their nuptials in a more traditional way. They had planned a large 150-person party and booked a DJ and local caterers to help ring in their big day in August.
The couple then opted to ditch the large gathering for safety reasons due to the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as the novel coronavirus, pandemic and donate what would have been the food at their party—from an Ohio-based food truck and catering service Betty’s Bomb Ass Burgers—to a shelter.
On Aug. 15, after a small backyard wedding with immediate family members, the newlyweds headed over to Laura’s Home—a women and children’s facility run by The City Mission in Cleveland, Ohio—to make their donation.
Tyler, who was dressed in a black-and-white tuxedo, and Melanie, who wore her white lace wedding gown, kept their face masks on and put on gloves and hairnets to serve the food.
“Something like that had never occurred before,” said Trickel, who coordinated with the couple and the caterer to get the food delivered. “It was really unbelievable especially when you think of many of our clients, the women and kids that are in our building, possibly have never been at a wedding like that before.”
The couple said they hope their donation inspired others whose plans have been derailed by the virus.
“You can definitely give back in times like this,” Melanie said.
