Bride, 23, with stage 4 cancer hails her ‘Christmas miracle’ after receiving free festive-themed wedding

A 23-year-old first-time bride battling cancer has praised her own ‘Christmas miracle’ after landing her dream wedding.

Katelen Cheshire’s wedding to 29-year-old Billy Green was paid for by suppliers after organizers were touched by her story.

The couple, from Telford, tied the knot in a festive farm ceremony in Shrewsbury, at a venue owned by Cindy Edwards.

After their celebration, which included a snow machine and a string quartet, plus alpacas dressed as bride and groom, the bride said the beauty of the ceremony left her in tears.

As she undergoes stem cell therapy to treat stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, she said there are “not enough thank yous to give” to the people who made her dream a reality.

Katelen said: ‘The day before we were shown around the room fully furnished.

“They turned on the Christmas music and led us to the barn and we all burst into tears because it was so wonderful.

‘It was so beautiful and so much fun.’

The celebration included a snow machine and a string quartet, while alpacas were dressed up as the bride and groom and the stables were decorated as a ‘real winter wonderland’.

Katelen is battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is currently receiving stem cell therapy

After Katelen and Billy’s story reached venue organizer Cindy, she decided to help cater the couple’s Christmas-themed wedding for free.

The couple’s wedding took place around Christmas and took place in a festive barn in Shrewsbury

Cindy, the venue’s owner, said Katelen approached her about a wedding in August, which she wanted as a “quick turnaround” because of her diagnosis.

Katelen said she felt a little ill and had back pain on the day of the wedding, but she persevered

After Cindy heard the couple’s story, she enlisted 34 companies to take care of all the bells and whistles for the wedding day.

The couple and their guests enjoyed mince pies and mulled wine throughout the day

Venue organizer Cindy, 45, said: ‘Katelen came to me to book a wedding for November in August.

“It was a quick turnaround because she’s evil, so I decided to offer the wedding for free and plan it for her.”

Cindy managed to involve 34 local businesses to make the whole thing a reality without costing the couple a cent.

Cindy said: ‘It was a really heartwarming thing to do, it was such a beautiful day, and they couldn’t have been more grateful for it, it was great to be a part of it.’

Katelen has been treated twice and went into remission for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but earlier this year she was told the cancer had returned

The beautiful bride has called the wedding day a ‘Christmas miracle’ and said she couldn’t thank the people who made it possible enough

After Katelen was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, she underwent treatment and went into remission twice, but discovered earlier this year that the disease has returned.

Katelen said: ‘I felt a bit ill that day and had a bad back, but because of the excitement I just pushed through.

‘The next day I slept it all off. Billy was stunned, he was so nervous and thought it might be stressful.

‘But towards the end he said he had never enjoyed himself so much, it was so much fun.’

All participating suppliers were hidden in a separate shed to surprise the couple later in the evening.

Katelen said: ‘Cindy surprised us by getting them all into the shed, then they all came to the wedding and joined in the celebrations.

“It was so nice to have them all there and thank them for all their hard work.

‘We all had mulled wine and cakes and it was nice for the suppliers to see what we had made.’

She added: ‘It was just perfect.

“Our whole family was crying, there just aren’t enough thank you’s to say to everyone.”