Jilted Sacramento bride gives wedding reception meal to homeless

SACRAMENTO, CA -- There was no bride or groom, but the guests at one recent wedding reception will always remember it.

The Duane family booked their daughter's wedding at a high-end Sacramento hotel, but earlier this week, her fiance called the whole $35,000 wedding off.

Instead of letting the evening go to waste, the Duanes decided to go ahead with the reception. They ditched the original guest list and invited residents from a homeless shelter.

Kari Duane, the would-be-bride's mother, said, "I feel a lot of heartache and heartbreak for her, but I will take away something good from this, I will."

Local station KCRA reported the first to arrive was a woman who lives in a shelter with others too old to work and too financially strapped to afford rent.

"I was thinking at that moment, if she's the only person that comes tonight, this was worth it," Duane said.

Rashad Abdullah, one of the many people who also attended the meal, said, "When you're going through a hard time and struggle, for you to get out to do something different and with your family, it was really a blessing."

The menu included salad, cauliflower, salmon, and even tri-tip beef. The bride didn't feel up to attending the reception, but she and her mom will take the nonrefundable trip to Belize that should have been her honeymoon.