+
upworthy
More

A homeless couple only expected to get a marriage certificate, but they got so much more.

“I didn’t expect this at all."

True
Dignity Health old

Trying to foot the bill for a wedding can be tough, especially when money is extra tight.

If anyone knows that to be true, it's Jerold and Mani Clay — a couple from Michigan who are battling homelessness. They've been together for more than a decade but just recently saved up enough to get a marriage license.

They never planned on having an extravagant ceremony — they simply wanted the paperwork to make it official.


But when their local homeless shelter discovered Jerold and Mani were getting hitched, they quickly sprung into action that same day to give them an unforgettable experience.

Last month, Mel Trotter Ministries helped make Jerold and Mani's wedding day extra special.

“The couple’s actually been together since 2004," Abbey Sladick, director of community relations at Mel Trotter in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told Upworthy, noting they'd been looking forward to their wedding day for quite some time. "It was just really important for them to have that day."

GIFs via Fox 17 News.

Sladick explained that, as a faith-based organization, Mel Trotter makes sure compassion is at the heart of everything they do. So when they learned about the couple's plans, they wanted to do anything they could to "enhance the memory."

Utilizing its own thrift stores, the ministry provided many of the essentials — like Jerold's tux and Mani's dress and accessories — while a local salon did the bride's hair and makeup.

And when Ken Kibby, who runs I Now Pronounce You Wedding Services, found out about the couple's financial circumstances the day of the wedding, he decided to officiate for free.


"He needs [the money] more than I do," Kibby told Fox 17 News. "It’s the right thing to do. These are two people trying to get their lives together, and God has blessed me with a lot. So I feel like it’s my job to return the favor."

Many believe it's important for folks with few resources to have the same opportunity to say, "I do" too.

Just ask Sean Cononie. He runs what's been dubbed America's First Homeless Resortout of what used to be a hotel in Haines City, Florida. The space provides homeless people a cheap (or even free) place to rest their head.

Cononie's facility also doubles as a wedding venue for its guests. With funds raised through the resort, he's officiated more than three dozen weddings, as Fox 13 News in Tampa Bay reported last summer.

"People who have money pay, people who don't have money don't pay," he told The Huffington Post in June 2015 of how his facility operates. The price of a room ranges from $0 to $24 a night.

"It was like a fairy tale," Lynette Hudson said after getting married at the facility. "It was beautiful."

Jerold and Mani, who are both looking for work, won't be forgetting their big day any time soon.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” Mani said. “We just wanted to do it casual with a few friends and family, and [Mel Trotter Ministries] came to me and made this happen — the dress, makeup, hair, and everything — and it meant a lot.”

This kind of compassionate community support can provide a huge source of encouragement for folks who are all too often marginalized. How awesome it is for them to have a moment of empowerment and love — something all people deserve.

Watch Fox 17 News' report from the couple's wedding below:


Time travel back to 1905.

Back in 1905, a book called "The Apples of New York" was published by the New York State Department of Agriculture. It featured hundreds of apple varieties of all shapes, colors, and sizes, including Thomas Jefferson's personal favorite, the Esopus Spitzenburg.






Keep ReadingShow less

Joey Grundl, Milwaukee pizza guy.

Joey Grundl, a pizza delivery driver for a Domino's Pizza in Waldo, Wisconsin, is being hailed as a hero for noticing a kidnapped woman's subtle cry for help.

The delivery man was sent to a woman's house to deliver a pie when her ex-boyfriend, Dean Hoffman, opened the door. Grundl looked over his shoulder and saw a middle-aged woman with a black eye standing behind Hoffman. She appeared to be mouthing the words: "Call the police."

Keep ReadingShow less
Photo by Katerina Holmes|Canva

Mom in tears after another parent calls about daughter's lunch


People say having children is like having your heart walk around outside of your body. You send them off to school, practices or playdates and hope that the world treats them kindly because when they hurt, you hurt. Inevitably there will be times when your child's feelings are hurt so you do your best to prepare for that day.

But what prepares you for when the child you love so much winds up accidentally healing your inner child. A mom on TikTok, who goes by Soogia posted a video explaining a phone call she received from a parent in her daughter's classroom. The mom called to inform Soogia that their kids had been sharing lunch with each other.

Soogia wasn't prepared for what came next. The classmate's mother informed her that her son loves the food Soogia's daughter brings to school and wanted to learn how to cook it too.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pop Culture

Listen to this organ in Croatia that uses the sea to make hauntingly beautiful music

It's a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.


In 2005, a Croatian architect designed a 230-foot-long organ that turns the rhythm of the waves into actual music.

Nope, not nonsensical bellows or chaotic tones. Real, actual, music.

Keep ReadingShow less
Modern Families

A comic from The Oatmeal illustrates how we're missing the mark on happiness.

I do the things that are meaningful to me, even if they don't make me "happy."

By Matthew Inman/The Oatmeal. Used with permission.

How to Be Perfectly Happy


Matthew Inman is the Eisner Award-winning author of The Oatmeal. He's published six books, including New York Times Best-Sellers such as "How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You"and "The Terrible and Wonderful Reasons Why I Run Long Distances."He enjoys running marathons, writing comics, and eating cake.

You can read more of Matthew's comics here.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health

Sweeping UN study finds that 9 out of 10 people worldwide are biased against women

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways.

Photo by Joe Gardner on Unsplash

As the U.S. ramps into an all-too-familiar presidential election cycle where the only viable candidates left on the ballot are men, the UN announces a study that may—at least partially—explain why.

The Gender Social Norms Index released yesterday by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offers a look at gender equality as measured by people's personal gender bias. The data, which was collected from 75 countries covering 81% of the world's population, found that 91% of men and 86% of women show at least one clear bias against women in the areas of politics, economics, education, and physical integrity.

In other words, 9 out of 10 people worldwide—both men and women—are biased against women in vital areas that impact the world in major ways. Splendid.

Keep ReadingShow less