After Her Wedding Was Canceled, A Bride's Family Turned Her Reception Into A Feast For The Homeless

“To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind,” one homeless person said.

A California family found a way to turn heartache into something beautiful by transforming their daughter's canceled wedding reception into a feast for the homeless community.

KCRA / Via kcra.com

Kari Duane's oldest daughter, Quinn, was planning on getting married Saturday, but on Monday she called her parents and told them the wedding was off.

Kari Duane

The Duane family.

Quinn's fiancé had been having doubts, and the couple had broken up.

Duane said she immediately began to help her daughter figure out how to deal with the logistics of canceling her wedding.

"[I] went into action mode," she told BuzzFeed News.

Duane said that the family had already paid for a reception at a beautiful Sacramento hotel.

The mom of six said she realized the family had an opportunity to give back.

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"We were like, OK then, we are going to serve," she said.

Duane reached out to some local homeless shelters, which helped her advertise the event. She said she wasn't sure how many people would come, but as many as 90 adults and children came.

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Some of the attendees told KCRA they were moved by the family's generosity.

“To lose out on something so important to yourself and then give it to someone else is really giving, really kind,” Erika Craycraft told the station.

KCRA / Via kcra.com

The event was bittersweet for the family, Duane said, but quite moving.

"I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to give to them," she said.

But the family was not done giving back: Duane said the flowers for the wedding were nonrefundable, so they have donated them to a nursing home.

As for the couple's planned honeymoon to Belize, Duane said it will now be a special trip for her and her daughter.