She thought it would be the wedding of her dreams. For a year and a half she planned and dreamed and planned some more.

And then, the night of the rehearsal dinner, disaster strikes.

My friend, JD, is at the house when she gets the news. I hear her on the phone. I hear her ‘Oh No! What can I do to help? How is she?…’ When she hangs up, she tells me the news.

One of her staff is getting married the next day and her maid of honor just called to tell her — the wedding and reception have been moved. Yup. The bride and entourage arrived at the wedding hall for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and wouldn’t you know it, another group was already there.

We double booked, the facility manager told them. So sorry. (It begs the question how they overlooked the overbooking for the year the bride planned and visited the venue and met with the consultants there, but that’s a whole other story.) In the meantime, there’s a wedding to put on. But first….

Panic. Anger. Confusion.

And then…

The maid of honor and bridesmaids leap into action. Within hours a new space is confirmed. Everyone is calling the guests to tell them of the change of plans.

Everything is a go for the next day, except..

When the bridal team arrive at the new venue the next morning to decorate they are informed, “It’s not going to happen. It just doesn’t work in our venue.”

No time for panic. Anger. Confusion.

The wedding is at 3:30.

There’s only time to take action.

One of the bridesmaids says, “I know someone at the Port O’ Call.” She phones. Talks to the manager. He agrees to help and by 12:30 a new contract is signed and everyone goes into high gear — especially the manager and staff at the Port O’ Call Hotel. Calls are placed to bring in more staff. Food. Decorations are loaded into the venue. Friends and family scurry around making a bride’s dream of the perfect wedding come true.

And it does.

When I ask my friend JD afterwards how the wedding went she gushes. “It was amazing. You’d never have known it wasn’t planned at the Port O’ Call in the first place.”

And she shared how committed and dedicated the manager and his team were to ensure this young woman’s dream of her wedding came true. A tulle lined red carpet walk. Rose petals. Candle light. A fabulous meal. Dancing. Laughter. Tears of joy. Hugs and a bride whose dream came true because a group of strangers went the extra mile to ensure she had the day she’d always dreamed of.

I was upset when I heard about the first venue’s sudden change of plans. At one point they even wanted to keep the $1,000 deposit — seriously? They did little to help the bride cope with what was their mistake — though from the sounds of it, they didn’t want to acknowledge it was their mistake — something to do with a sales rep who booked the wedding groups, took the money and left town…

Not our fault, they said.

Regardless of whose fault it was, there was a bride and a groom anticipating a day of bliss.

Thanks to the amazing staff at the Port O’ Call Hotel, they got it!

What a difference they made to what could have been a disastrous beginning to a marriage.

What a difference they made simply by choosing to turn up and be their best.

I’m sure if you asked them they’d tell you — It’s what we do.

According to my friend JD, what they did saved the day — and they did it all with grace and ease. “I’d go back to the Port O’ Call any day. They took care of even the tiniest details without complaint. The manager was there the whole time to ensure the wedding didn’t miss a beat. It was as if she was his daughter and he just wanted to make sure the day went as planned! He really cared.”

On their website it says that the Hotel is the winner of the BEST WESTERN PLUS Director’s award for outstanding quality and service.

I can see why.

I don’t know the bride. I don’t know the manager and his team at the Port O’ Call Hotel — but I plan on it. I’d really like to support people who go the extra mile to make a difference simply because they care enough to know — how they treat people makes a difference.