Grieving bride in wedding dress visits fiance's grave the day they were supposed to get married

A heartbroken bride was captured wearing her wedding dress to go and visit the grave of her fiance on the day they were supposed to tie the knot. The pictures show Jessica Padgett kneeling in front of the headstone of Kendall James Murphy on September 29. Murphy had been a firefighter in Montgomery, Indiana.

He was killed in a tragic incident in November last year when his colleague, Colby Blake, crashed his vehicle into three cars as they were responding to an emergency call. Blake, who is from Cannelburg, had not been injured in the incident but was alleged to have had a blood alcohol level of .21%, which is more than double the legal limit of just .08. In honor of her fallen fiance, Jessica posed for a series of images with his boots, his tombstone, his firefighting gear, and with their loved ones.

The breathtaking images were taken by Loving Life Photography and have since been shared on Facebook. The photos have all been shared now more than 21,000 times by users online. In one gut-wrenching image, Jessica can be seen holding her fallen fiance's boots with an image of him photoshopped in the image to stand right next to her.

(Source: Loving Life Photography/Facebook)

The photographer wrote in the caption of the image: "She made broken look beautiful and strong look invincible. She walked with the Universe on her shoulders and made it look like a pair of wings." The maid of honor and the best man both took turns giving speeches before both families were captured lighting paper sky lanterns above his gravesite.

Murphy, Blake, and one more firefighter had been responding to a crash site along with deputies from the Daviess County Sheriff's Department on the tragic night that Murphy was killed. The fire department got a call about a driver in the crash site who was stuck inside his vehicle and had to be rescued.

(Source: Loving Life Photography/Facebook)

While the firefighters were responding to the scene of the crash, Black crashed into the back of another truck with his own and kept going striking another vehicle in the process. Murphy was already at the scene after having gotten there in his personal vehicle. He had exited his car and opened the rear passenger door on the left to try and take out his protective clothing when he was hit by Blake's truck. The 27-year-old groom-to-be died at the scene.

Blake was subsequently arrested and charged with causing death when operating a motor vehicle with a blood-alcohol content of .15 or more. The case has still not been set for a trial.

The National Fallen Firefighters Association said that Murphy had been a "selfless man of God who loved spending time with family and friends". They also added: "He had a true servant’s heart and captivating personality that would light up any room. His wittiness would make anyone laugh and have him making friends in no time. He didn’t know a stranger."

The families of Murphy and Jessica both attended the National Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland, so that they could honor their fallen firefighter on October 7. In a post on Facebook, Jessica wrote: "What an emotional, amazing weekend this was! This foundation not only honored my Kendall but also took us in as a family. This wasn’t what we wanted in the end, but at least we know we will never be alone, we have all become one big supporting family [sic]. You will forever be in our hearts #616."

Murphy is reported to have been with the Montgomery Volunteer Fire Department since June 2016. It is said that he had been "following his father and grandfather's footsteps" when he joined the department.

Why It’s Completely OK If You Do Not Wear A Wedding Ring

‘I don’t need a visual aid to let everyone know I’m married.’

When my friend Himali Singh-Soin got married last year, there were no rings exchanged at the ceremony. “We exchanged pineapples because we had to exchange something,” said Singh-Soin, who’s an artist and writer living in London. “Pineapples are fractals. Each part is a part of a whole.”

That symbolism was important for Singh-Soin and her partner, who chose to get married on New Year’s Eve so that it would feel like a celebration for all their friends and family, not just for the two of them. “We felt that rings might somehow exclude the community that we are part of and is part of us,” she said. Eliminating wedding rings was a way for the couple to uphold values of inclusivity and universality.

Singh-Soin also asked wedding guests to put away their phones, so that “nothing was on public display.”

The tradition of brides wearing wedding rings is thought to date back 4,800 years to ancient Egypt. The tradition of grooms wearing them is much more recent, having only become popular during World War II, when men on the frontlines of faraway battles wanted a reminder of their wives back home.

But it’s 2016, and the old-fashioned patriarchal convention appears to be dying out. More and more celebrities — from Jay Z and Vanity Fair’s Graydon Carter to Prince William and Donald Trump — are foregoing the gold band.

Normal people, too, seem to be sick of the symbolism of the whole thing. I talked to a dozen married people in different parts of the world who don’t wear wedding bands; many of them think rings are a pointless societal construct. A number of them pointed out how ridiculous it was to think such a material thing could possibly signify deep-rooted values like fidelity and commitment, which, they said, can only come from within.

“I don’t need a visual aid to let everyone know I’m married and have chosen not to have sex with other people,” said Jessica Reker, a radiation therapist in Connecticut. “My personal integrity does that.”

Others said a ring made a public statement about them that they’d rather not make. “The point of a ring, in my opinion, is to show people that you’re married, how much money you have or how much your husband loves you,” said Samantha, a research manager in Massachusetts. “I like to keep my personal life to myself.”

Personally, I’ve always liked wearing a wedding ring: Aside from being a union with the person I love most in the world, I consider my marriage to be a kind of accomplishment. I know that sounds kind of douchey, but let me explain: For a period of my life, I was kind of a fuckup. I was smoking weed every day and was very self-involved. I had a series of relationships I destroyed through sheer selfishness. When I fell in love with my partner, Adele, I tried really hard not to screw things up, and I succeeded. So I’m proud of our marriage, and my ring is a way of showing the world that my life is no longer such a mess.

A friend of mine who’s a jewelry maker made my ring as a wedding present. So that shiny gold thing on my left hand has the added sentimental value of being a gift from a loved one.

But I completely understand people who don’t want to wear a ring. There’s something inherently possessive about sporting one, as if the wearer is telling the world: “I belong to someone, so don’t get too close to me.” This is especially true of engagement rings — Why does a woman (but not a man) have to mark herself “taken” the minute she accepts a proposal? — but also for regular old wedding bands. Genevieve, a freelance journalist in Jerusalem, told me she takes hers off when she gets annoyed with her partner, to give herself “some space.”

I took off my ring for a couple weeks while I was working on this story and was surprised at how freeing and natural it felt. And I was troubled by that, because I realized that all the time I’d been proudly wearing this piece of engraved gold on my finger, I may have been showing off — if only subconsciously.

I eventually put it back on. My marriage is still pretty new, and it’s still a source of pride for me. But I’m thinking that some day, when I’ve got a few more years of successful partnership under my belt and I’m feeling more settled, that pride will become more private, more personal.

And the ring might come off for good.

Couple After Marrying For 9 Years Finally Opened Their Wedding Gift and What They Found Was Something Else

After spending hours adding the perfect items to your wedding registry, it seems impossible that a bride and groom could just not open one of their wedding gifts. But for one couple, it took them nine years after their wedding day to open their last wedding gift.

Kathy and Brandon Gunn had a wedding present sitting in the back of their closet for nine years until they finally opened it this past May. Kathy posted her story on Facebook, and after being featured by the Love What Matters Facebook page on August 29, her post garnered more than 12,000 likes and 1,500 shares. (You can see the post below.)

The gift, Kathy explained in her post, was from her great Aunt Alison and had an envelope taped onto it that read, "Do not open until your first disagreement."

"Now, there had obviously been plenty of disagreements, arguments, and slammed doors throughout our nine years," Kathy explained in her post. "There were even a couple of instances where we both considered giving up...but we never opened the box."

So, what finally drove the couple, who now have a six-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son together, to open the gift? Funny enough, they were sitting on their deck together at their home in Michigan, enjoying a glass of wine and wondering what gift to bring to an upcoming wedding in Kalamazoo when they realized that there was an unopened gift in their house. She said the reason that the box remained unopened after all this time, even though they had certainly had their share of arguments over the years, was because they were "too stubborn and determined" to open it.

"It forced us to reassess situations," she explained. "Was it really time to open the box? What if this isn't our worst fight? What if there's a worse one ahead of us and we don't have our box?!? As my Great Uncle Bill would say, 'Nothing is ever so bad that it couldn't get worse.'"

That night they finally opened the wedding gift, and inside they found two handwritten notes wrapped around two different bundles of money, wineglasses, a vase, and bath products. The two notes, addressed to Kathy and Brandon separately, included instructions on exactly what each of them should do with the money. Kathy's note told her to draw up a bath and buy a pizza, while Brandon's note told him to buy some flowers and a bottle of wine.

This creative, heartfelt gift went from collecting dust in their house to becoming a major source of joy and learning for the couple.

"For nine years (and three moves) that box sat high on a shelf in various closets gathering dust, yet it somehow taught us about tolerance, understanding, compromise and patience," Kathy wrote in her post. "Our marriage strengthened as we became best friends, partners, and teammates. Today, we decided to open that box, because I finally had a realization. I realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box — they were within us."

The Huffington Post caught up with Kathy and Brandon after their story went viral to ask them what the most important lesson is that they have learned throughout their marriage.

"Life throws so many twists and turns at all of us, outside of marriage, and dealing with those problems can be difficult without someone to count on, lean on, confide in, or cry with," Kathy told the Huffington Post. "Brandon is my constant. No matter what struggles I am faced with, I know that I can always count on him to be in my corner and me in his. It's so much easier to get through life when you have someone that will always be there for you and that would do anything for you, no matter the day or time."

Christian Artists Could Be Punish for Refusing to Make Same-Sex Wedding Invitations

Two Arizona-based Christian artists face fines and the possibility of being jailed after they refused to make invitations for same-sex weddings.






Joanna Duka and Breanna Koski own Brush & Nib Studio, a stationery company that makes invitations for different events, including weddings.

Following their refusal to create invitations for a gay wedding because of their religious beliefs, they are accused of violating an ordinance in the city of Phoenix that protects homosexuals from discrimination.

The city ordinance also prohibits Duka and Koski "from explaining to customers and the public why they could only create art consistent with their beliefs about marriage."


Kristen Waggoner, the attorney who's representing Duka, Koski and other area business owners, joined Shannon Bream on "The Kelly File" tonight to discuss the case after losing at the trial level.

"We don't force artists to create artistic expression under threat of jail time," Waggoner argued.

"Americans don't give up their constitutional rights because they want to earn a living a feed their children, nor do artists," she added.

Waggoner said the First Amendment protects this sort of religious expression, so they've filed an appeal and she's confident that another judge will see the case differently.

Michael Phelps Just Got Married To Nicole Johnson in Small, Private Ceremony

After secretly getting legally married in June, ahead of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson made it official with a small, intimate wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to a report in Us Weekly.





The couple celebrated their marriage on Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016 with a private beachside ceremony at El Dorodo Golf and Beach Club. The wedding was reportedly attended by 50 close friends and family members, including of course, their 5-month-old son, Boomer.

After the wedding, the couple shared photos of the wedding with their fans and followers on Instagram. “Truly the happiest day of my life,” wrote Johnson below a picture of herself and her husband. Her new Instagram handle is now @mrs.nicolephelps.

Michael Phelps shared another photo from the ceremony to his own Instagram. “My best friend…. I love you!!” he wrote on a photo of the newlyweds walking down the aisle. You can see Boomer being held by one of the bridesmaids in that one.

8 Awesome Things You Can Buy at Moderately Affordable Cost For a Wedding

While lots of couples like to go all-out with their weddings, some find the $26,645 that the average American wedding costs a little excessive. Eloping is becoming increasingly popular as more couples decide they'd rather hold an intimate event than dish out the big bucks. After all, money is a big reason fewer millennials are getting married than ever.

If you decide to skip out on the big wedding—or go for a cheaper version of it—one advantage is that you can spend the cash you would've reserved for it elsewhere. Here are just a few ways you could allocate it:

1. Splurge on the honeymoon

That $26,645 is enough for a long, luxurious trip is an understatement. In fact, $25,000 allowed one person to go on a two-month expedition in Antarctica and South America. Another traveler used that much money to visit a top spa in Hong Kong and stay in villas with private butlers in the Maldives. If a luxury vacation isn't for you, you'll get a whole lot of regular ones—approximately eight 12-day international trips and 46 four-night domestic ones, to be exact.

2. Give your home a makeover

You can make your everyday living space crazy-gorgeous for less than the cost of decorating for that one event: $26,645 is more than enough to sub out your Ikea furniture for several cute antique pieces, invest in some artwork to make your walls a bit less drab, or get that king-sized bed that would help both of you sleep better.

3. Upgrade your apartment or, instead of redoing your current place, you could just get a new one altogether. In New York City, the average one-bedroom is a staggering $2,834 a month, while the average two bedroom is $3,635. Even with those high prices, $26,645 will cover an upgrade from a one bedroom to a two bedroom for almost three years.

4. Eat dinner out (a lot) more often Let's say your average dinner out together at a fairly nice but not over-the-top restaurant costs $50. The cost of a wedding will cover 533 of those, which means you and your boo could go out to dinner an extra night each week for 10 years—or literally every single night for a year and a half. Not a bad way to start off your married life together.

5. Get a vacation home The average one-week-a-year timeshare costs $19,000, plus an additional $660 per year. So, $26,645 should reserve you a nice romantic getaway.

6. Buy a new car Well, almost. The average cost of a new car is $33,560. But it's not a huge difference, and if you want to be festive, you can drive off from your elopement or small wedding with a "just married" banner on your new car's rear window.

7. Make a joint donation This idea comes from psychotherapist Katherine Schafler: "Finding a life partner can feel like such a gift, like the greatest treasure, and when we feel so overwhelmed with that particular brand of abundance, we're hard-wired to want to give back," she explains. "And that's a great question to ask when you find yourself in a wealth of love: 'How can we share this?'" Instead of using your savings toward yourselves, you can celebrate your marriage by donating to a cause you both believe in. And if either of you have changed your names, you've got a new name to donate in.

Wedding can be amazing experience, and there's no shame if you want to prioritize having one giant bash. But if you're one of the lucky few who's managed to save up for a wedding, this all makes a pretty compelling case to funnel those savings elsewhere.

Two Stars of 'Pitch Perfect' Skylar Astin and Anna Camp Are Married!

Break out the champagne! Pitch Perfect costars Skylar Astin and Anna Camp got married in a romantic wedding ceremony on Saturday, September 10, Astin's rep confirms to Us Weekly.

Prior to the pair's nuptials, the 33-year-old actress teased her excitement for the big day on Instagram with an "It's the day of the show, y'all!" meme from the 1997 filmWaiting for Guffman. She captioned the post with two heart eye emojis.

Fellow Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow also joined in on the anticipation, sharing a shot of herself with the couple at a press event. "Award High Five because these two nerds/amazing friends of mine are getting MARRIED today! I [love] you both so much," Snow wrote.

Costar Rebel Wilson also shared a pic with Camp on Instagram, writing, "Guess who's getting married today? HINT: it's not me x." Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks posted a photo saying that she was "pretty excited" to watch the couple wed.

How Much Money You Should Give as a Wedding Gift: See The 11 Factors to Help You Decide

In short, there's no exact go-to dollar amount when you're giving money as a wedding gift. (Sorry.) But there are a bunch of factors that can help you decide. Here are the 11 that matter, in our book.

2. 1. 
      
3. Salary If you make more, you give more. So we'd give more now than we would've if we were right out of college. Unemployed guests give what they can—and a kind bride or groom will mention to anyone who's majorly cash-strapped, "We know you're struggling. Your presence is present enough."

2. Attendance If you're not going, you can get away with giving less. But if it's a close friend or family member, don't go too low. Especially if they attended (or will attend) your wedding and gave a gift.

3. Plus-One Status You don't need to double the amount if you're double the guests, but multiplying your base number by 1.5 is about right. (So if you generally don't go lower than $100 when you're solo, don't go lower than $150 if you have a plus-one.)

4. Relationship There's no hard-and-fast rule, but in general, your bestest bestie gets more than your coworker.

5. Wedding Number If you've already been to a wedding for the bride or groom, you can give less—but nottoo much less if it's the first trip down the aisle for the other person.

6. Other Gifts The general rule is you spend 20 percent of your gift budget on an engagement gift, 20 percent on a shower gift, and 60 percent on the wedding gift itself. Engagement gifts seem to be more of an East Coast thing, while bachelorette party gifts are popular elsewhere, so adjust the numbers to suit the number of gifts you're giving, but keep a majority allocated for the wedding gift.

7. Other Contributions If you hand-calligraphed 150 invitations {been there } or your husband designed and printed their programs {done that } you can consider that part of your gift. But don't dock them for easy, expected tasks, like assembling favors as part of a group.

8. Wedding Party Status In general, the wedding party gives more, but if there were above-and-beyond expenses—say, a super-spendy bridesmaid dress and a bachelorette getaway in Mexico—you can give less.

9. Wedding Location If you and the bride and groom live in a major city (NYC, L.A.) you give more. Especially if the wedding is being held in that city. But if you're from the Midwest and still live there and your city-dwelling friend hosts her wedding in your hometown, I don't think you need to bump up the amount.

10. Travel Distance If attending a wedding requires a plane ride and a hotel stay, you can skip the cash gift and buy something less expensive off the registry—unless the bride and groom are chipping in for your travel expenses. In that case, give something a little more substantial.

11. Their Gift to You You don't go tit-for-tat, writing a check for the exact amount you received—especially if, say, the groom in question attended your wedding solo five years ago. But it's awkward if you're overly generous when someone got you a salad tray and tongs.

The old rule of thumb used to be "You give enough to cover your food and drink." But we take issue with that for two reasons: 1) You shouldn't know how much the bride are spending per guest. If you do, there have been some serious breeches of etiquette. And 2) The amount you can afford shouldn't fluctuate based on whenthey can afford.

P.S. If you're giving money, opt for a check over cash in case your card gets—Yikes!—lost or stolen.

This is Why A Lot Of People Admit They Are In An Unhappy Relationship

Maybe money can buy love after all. According to a survey by British trade-in site Ziffit, of 2,040 of its members, over a quarter have stayed in their relationships at least partially for financial security.

Of those who said finances affected their decision to be in their relationships, over a third admitted that they couldn't pay the bills on their own, and one-tenth said they relied on their partners for luxuries like vacations that they wouldn't otherwise be able to afford.

"It's all rather worrying to see just how financially dependent Brits are on their partners," Ziffit eCommerce director Paul Treanor said in a press release. "Our survey suggests that when five couples are sitting around a table at least one person is there purely because of the financial security their partner provides."

While it's understandable for people in relationships to help each other out during tough financial times, this reliance may make breakups more difficult, according to Malcolm Taub, senior partner and co-chair of the Divorce & Family Law group at Davidoff Hutcher & Citron, LLP. "Most divorces result in the non-moneyed spouse having to adjust and reduce their expectations and lifestyle," he told Ipresstv over email. "As the saying goes, "two cannot live separately as well as together."

Nigerian Bride Runs Away From Her Wedding After Discovering Her Husband Is Not A Chevron Staff [PHOTOS]

They say "all that glitters is not gold". yes, you heard that right as there was chaos at a recent wedding in southern Nigeria because the supposed-glittering gold is not a real gold. 
A Nigerian bride runs Away from her wedding the  moment she discovered that her would-be husband had lied to her about working with oil giant Chevron. This happening incident took place at Liverpool road , Eket, Nigeria. Who should we  blame in a circumstance like, the bridegroom or the bride?