Meredith Diedrich and her burned down wedding venue.Photo:Meredith Diedrich
Meredith Diedrich
Instead of panicking when her venue burned down on her wedding day, a bride found “beauty from ashes.”
Meredith Diedrich, 23, and Joshua Diedrich, 26, originally planned to tie the knot on Nov. 16 at The Lodge atThree Notch’d Brewery, Distillery & Craft Kitchenin Nellysford, Virginia. But the wedding venue unexpectedly burned down overnight.
“The Three Notch’d venue coordinator had called my mom, who then called me at 7 a.m. on the morning of my wedding to tell me that our wedding venue had burned down,” Meredith tells PEOPLE. “It was completely gone.”
Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.PHOTO:Meredith DiedrichMeredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.PHOTO:Meredith Diedrich
Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.
Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.
Meredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.PHOTO:Meredith DiedrichMeredith Diedrich’s burned down wedding venue.PHOTO:Meredith Diedrich
The official cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Meredith says it is believed to be electrical. She drove up to the rubble that morning to see how bad the damage was, and all that was left was the barn’s collapsed roof and charred frames.
“The venue building was mostly made of wood, so it quickly went up in flames,” she says.
Meredith initially thought that her mother was joking with her because she had never heard of this situation happening before. But the bride’s worst nightmare was real.
“I never would’ve guessed those words would have come out of her mouth … I had no clue how to even react,” she recalls.
To make matters worse, the night before her wedding, Meredith’s hair and makeup artist was admitted to the hospital due to a pregnancy-related medical issue.
Meredith Diedrich at her burned down wedding venue.Meredith Diedrich
The bride couldn’t believe her bad luck. But after learning all of the “devastating news,” she didn’t panic.
“My bridesmaids had stayed overnight with me, so I called them into the room and told them what had happened. We all were in shock for a few minutes, then started to laugh,” Meredith tells PEOPLE. “I had thought, ‘What else is there to do but laugh it off?'”
That’s when Meredith’s sister, Hannah LeBlanc, whipped out her phone and recorded a video for TikTok of Meredith telling her fiancé the news, who also thought they were joking. When he realized they were for real, he got serious and contemplated their next move.
TikTok users commented that this was a sign from the universe to not get married. But Meredith and Joshua disagreed and got to work to plan a new wedding for the same day.
Joshua Diedrich and Meredith Diedrich at their wedding.Brittany Starke Studios
Brittany Starke Studios
“The moment we got the confirmation for the new venue we all got to work,” Meredith says. “Me, the bridesmaids, some family friends, my parents and the staff at both venues all worked to put everything together as quickly as possible at our new location, seven minutes down the street at Blue Toad Hard Cider.”
She continues: “All of us started moving around chairs and decorations, while the staff were moving and delivering food and drinks from the original location. It truly took a village. Everyone was so helpful, kind and kept their cool. We were able to keep our venue start time the exact same, it was like nothing had happened aside from the venue change!”
Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.Meredith and Joshua Diedrich.Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.PHOTO:Brittany Starke StudiosMeredith and Joshua Diedrich.PHOTO:Brittany Starke Studios
Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.Meredith and Joshua Diedrich.
Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.
Meredith and Joshua Diedrich.
Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.PHOTO:Brittany Starke StudiosMeredith and Joshua Diedrich.PHOTO:Brittany Starke Studios
Even though Meredith’s hair and makeup artist offered to help her find a replacement, she thought it would be “too much added stress” to coordinate with an unknown alternative. Luckily, Autumn, her sister’s friend who happened to be a hair and makeup artist, saw her TikTok and got right in her car, traveling more than two hours to help Meredith out.
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“Our wedding was intimate and heartfelt,” Meredith says. “It wasn’t what we originally planned, but it turned into a day filled with deep love, meaningful moments, and memories we’ll treasure forever. It was a testament to love and resilience.”
Joshua and Meredith Diedrich.Brittany Starke Studios
The weddingwas dubbed “Beauty from Ashes.”
source: people.com
