She survived the car crash, but her memories of their wedding didn't. So they're doing it again.
Great weddings often go by in a blur, but what happened to her was something else entirely.
They say your wedding day should be one of the most memorable experiences of your life.
And it would have been for Justice Stamper before a car wreck nearly took it all away.
She and her husband, Jeremy, were married on August 1, 2014, in tranquil Hungry Mother State Park, in a country sunflower-themed ceremony before family and friends.
Justice and Jeremy were first married at Hungry Mother State Park. All photos by Kayla Williams, used with permission.
On August 20, 2014, just weeks after her wedding, Justice Stamper was in a traumatic car accident that erased every last one of her wedding memories.
From planning and cake tastings, to walking down the aisle, to her and Jeremy's honeymoon in the Smoky Mountains.
All of it — gone.
It took her months to work up the courage to admit to her husband that she had no recollection of the day they had dreamed about together for so long.
It was one of the happiest days of their lives but the joy was short-lived.
When she finally told Jeremy, he promised her they would do it all over again.
He started a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to scrape together enough money to give Justice a wedding day she'd remember forever. One even better than their first.
And as of this writing, Jeremy has raised nearly double his original goal of $5,000.
There's never a good time for tragedy to strike, but for some people, it hits at the absolute worst moment.
In 2007, Katie Spinks suffered an epileptic seizure just hours before her wedding and woke up not knowing where she was and not even recognizing the tuxedoed man standing across from her. She only remembered her husband-to-be halfway through the ceremony.
In 2013, Amanda Karth suffered an extreme heart attack the night of her wedding that knocked her unconscious for days, wiping away the happy memories of her nuptials in the process.
And in 2014, just two months before his wedding to fiancee Leizl, Rowden Go Pangcoga was diagnosed with stage four liver cancer. Doctors said he'd never make it to the ceremony.
Each of these brave individuals, along with their loving partners, found a way to overcome the obstacles.
Katie made a memory book full of photos so she'd never forget her wedding, her kids, and her life with her husband.
Amanda renewed her vows with her groom in a tender ceremony after their story gained wide attention.
Rowden and Leizl moved their wedding up almost a full month and were married in a hospital. All because the moment meant that much to them.
And on August 1, 2015, Justice Stamper will have her moment – one that she and her husband will share forever.
Justice and Jeremy will get married again on August 1.
Love is built on these shared experiences – weddings, births, and all the day-to-day moments in between. It's built on an ability to look back in awe of everything you've been through together.
The good and the bad.
Jeremy and Justice will tie the knot for the second time, and this time in front of not only their family and friends, but everyone who helped them make this great day possible.
And afterward, they'll finally be able to put the accident behind them and begin a new chapter of their lives together.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.