A Tropical Miami Wedding Wish

Wish

Dec 29

On November 4, 2020, Sheila and Stevans gathered with family and friends on the lush, breathtaking grounds of the Historic Walton House to unite their lives in marriage. The wish could not have been more perfect, and our bride and groom were treated to a gorgeous day that was full of celebration.

Sheila and Stevans first started dating in high school. They fell for each other immediately and been together ever since. Following college, the two moved in together and embarked on a new life, both pursuing careers in the legal field.

In 2018, while working a lot of long, stressful hours at a law firm, Sheila started getting sick frequently. Although many of her symptoms could be explained away as a bad cold, she was missing a lot of work and lost hearing in one of her ears. After first visiting her primary care doctor, she was referred to an ENT, who performed an MRI on her ear. While the test was clear, she was given a series of injections to see if they could bring back her hearing. After the injections failed, she underwent a special surgery, which again, was unsuccessful.

At the beginning of 2019, Sheila’s doctor recommended a special hearing aid for her. Shortly after getting fit for it, she traveled to Columbia to visit her family. During her trip, she started experiencing terrible headaches and having vision issues. She went to the doctor and was instructed to see a specialist once she returned to the states. Once she was home, Sheila was referred to an eye institute at the University of Miami hospital where an MRI revealed a rare cancerous tumor at the base of her skull. She underwent two very complicated surgeries to remove her brain tumor. Although the surgeries went well overall, they were only able to remove about 70% of the tumor, leaving Sheila facing a very difficult recovery. After getting out the ICU, she had to learn how to walk, swallow and live normal life again. She underwent months and months of intense rehab, followed by chemotherapy and radiation.

While the tumor has stabilized for now, the treatment has taken a significant toll on Sheila. She’s been in and out of the hospital numerous times this past year and has struggled to regain her voice, strength and mobility.

It’s hard not to fall head over heels in love with this darling couple – we sure did – and we were thrilled to grant their wish for a wedding.

We teamed up with our friend, Lina Bender of Lina Bender Events and are so thankful for the incredible hard work she put into making this wish come true. While we had originally planned to have this wedding months ago, the global pandemic swept through Miami, preventing us from providing an event that was safe for Sheila and her guests. Thankfully, despite all of the many COVID obstacles, Lina was able to secure an all-star team of wish granters who truly went above and beyond.

From the tropical paradise setting, complete with exotic birds, to the breathtaking flowers, exquisite cuisine, amazing live music and delicious cake, every last detail was magical. Sheila and Stevans laughed and danced with their friends and enjoyed a day where they could momentarily forget the hard times they’ve endured in the past few years.

We are forever indebted to this incredible team of wish granters and have been humbled by their willingness to give during a time when they have themselves have lost so much. If we’ve learned anything at all this year, it’s this: kindness wins, generosity wins, and above all else, love wins.

Thank you, friends.

Planner: Lina Bender Events

Venue: The Historic Walton House

Catering: Alexander Event Catering

Floral: EC Floral Design and Events

Photography: Leo Photographer

DJ: MPE Event Group

Violinist: Carlos Florat

Stationery: The Invitorium

Makeup: Luis Enrique Urbano Makeup Artist

Hair: Esperanza Gonzales

Officiant: Adri Camacho