Tomball ballroom owner pays for couple who thought they had to cancel dream wedding
TOMBALL, Texas (KTRK) -- Canceled plans are a reoccurring nightmare for many people in 2020, but a sweet surprise helped one Houston-area couple stick to the most important plans they've ever made.
Due to pandemic-related financial issues, Cindy Lee and Lemuel Restauro thought they'd have to cancel their wedding and lose much of their deposit money.
"(COVID-19) was pretty hard," said Lemuel. "I'm in the restaurant industry, so it's been difficult for me specifically."
"We spent a long time planning it," said Cindy. "We had a two-year engagement, so we knew this was our day, and we didn't want it to change."
After months of lost wages, the couple knew they couldn't afford the rest of their wedding costs, so they decided to call off the wedding until they got back on their feet.
Cindy wrote a letter to their venue, Sans Souci Ballroom in Tomball, telling them about the cancelation and asking them to waive the additional cancelation fee. The couple knew they'd still lose the deposit.
"I wrote in there, 'I'm not looking for my money back,'" said Cindy. "They are a small business themselves, and we're not (trying) to take that away from (them.)"
But the stars were aligned for Cindy's and Lemuel's union, because Sans Souci's owner called to say the business would cover the rest of their payments, allowing them to keep their date at the altar.
"I'm absolutely speechless," said Cindy. "There (are) honestly no words for exactly how we feel: grateful, blessed, loved."
The couple said they know 2020 has been rough on many people, but they believe there are still good people in the world and plenty of reasons to celebrate.
"Just hang in there," Lemuel said. "God's always blessing people."
