A woman was left in tears after finding a hidden message from her late mum on the bottom of her wedding shoes.
Bride-to-be Emma, from Kibworth Beauchamp in Leicestershire, got engaged in 2016 but just one month later, her mum was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Although Emma, 38, had hoped her mum would make it to her wedding, she sadly passed away one year later in 2017.
Emma received her bridal shoes last Saturday (March 9), discovering not only had her mum secretly paid for them, but she had also written a loving message on the soles of each one.
The message read:
Wanted you to have a gift from me on your wedding day. Your wedding shoes are my gift to you.
Hope you have a magical day. Lots and lots of love and big hugs, MUM xxxx
Emma described the gift as an ‘absolute shock’, saying she had absolutely no idea her mum had planned this in advance.
Emma told the BBC:
I pulled out the one shoe and I saw part of the message and I couldn’t think who it would be. I started to cry… I was just absolutely in bits. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t talk.
Emma is due to get married to fiancé Richard in August and said planning the wedding without having her mum there had been ‘so hard’, saying there have been lots of tears.
The 38-year-old’s mum had been given between one to two years to live after being diagnosed with lung cancer, and had been writing letters to members of the family.
Emma added:
I didn’t get a letter, she just ran out of time. So this is special to me.
The bride-to-be said she’s received lots of messages of support since sharing her story, saying it’s nice to hear from people who are in similar situations.
She said:
It’s really nice to hear that obviously, what I’m feeling, that other people have gone through it, and to know that there are people out there who are planning weddings and not having their mum there.
Amanda Weise, the owner of online shop Lace and Love, which customised the shoes, said she was contacted by Emma’s mum a few weeks after the initial order was placed and that it was ‘lovely’ to be able to be involved in the touching gift.
The shop owner, from Barrow upon Soar, told the BBC:
It’s probably the most emotional pair of shoes I’m ever going to make. Hopefully it will give her a bit of comfort on the day. It will be like walking down the aisle with her mum.
It was her mum who told me she had cancer and wouldn’t be there for Emma’s wedding day. She told me on the first message she sent me.
I was aware that she was terminally ill at the time. I think Emma was kind of hoping she would see the wedding. From the message that she wrote, I think she did intend for it to be after she was gone.
What a touching gesture. Hopefully the shoes will provide Emma the added sentiment she thought lost for her wedding day.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677
A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).