On September 17, 2020, Hillary and Mike will stand before their close friends and family to renew their vows and to celebrate a love that has persevered in the face of tremendous loss, heartache and sickness.

Hillary and Mike first met in November of 2009. They both happened to be at the same restaurant and noticed each other from across the room. While neither one of them was particularly looking to find someone, they immediately felt drawn to each other. For Mike it was her cool tattoos, for Hillary, it was his handsome gray hair. They met that night and start dating right away. Before long, the couple had moved in together and was expecting a baby.

Sadly, the joy of their new pregnancy was quickly dashed when they learned that their unborn child was suffering from a rare genetic defect. They made the difficult decision to induce labor at 26 weeks in hopes of saving the baby’s life, but sadly, she was still born. 10 days later, through grief and pain, Hillary and Mike decided to marry.

The next few years saw many ups and downs, including the tragic death of Hillary’s teenage daughter, Mike’s deployment to Afghanistan and most recently, Hillary’s cancer diagnosis. Two years ago, Hillary began to experience a strange pain in her left arm. She hadn’t been feeling well and decided to get checked out. After running several tests, her doctors discovered spots on her lungs and two tumors on her brain. She was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Hillary immediately underwent a complicated surgery to have the tumors removed. Following her surgery, she spent two weeks in the ICU and underwent intense rehab to relearn how to use the left side of her body again. Following her surgery, she began a grueling radiation and chemotherapy treatment program.

During her treatments, Hillary experienced numerous complications, including a staff infection and a seizure. Her cancer recently moved into her femur and her hip, making it difficult to walk and move around. She’s currently undergoing a new chemotherapy regiment in hopes of slowing her cancer’s rapid progression.

Throughout it all, Hillary and Mike have remained as close as ever and are looking forward to renewing their vows and professing their love to each other in front of the people who mean the most to them.

We couldn’t help but fall in love with with this vivacious southern belle (she’s 7th generation Texan!) and her dashing husband and have been so touched by their painfully beautiful love story. Despite the limitations of this unprecedented time, we were able to secure an outstanding team of wish granters – to which we are eternally grateful. Thank you, in advance, for your generous hearts and creative spirits. We couldn’t do this with you all.

Planner: Amanda Fullerton, The Simply Elegant Group

Venue: Mercury Hall

Catering: PEJ Events

Appetizers: Austin Catering

Staffing: All Pro Hospitality Staffing

Floral: Fine Flowers of Round Rock

Floral: Equadorian Quality Roses

Floral: Rio Roses

Photo/Video: Wondery Photography

DJ: DJ Aaron Ward

Cake: Sweet Treats Bakery

Cake: Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop