'He's my rock': When her fiancé was given 3 months to live, Weyburn gave her a wedding to remember
When Jennifer May looks at a photo from her wedding day, she sees in it the true definition of her relationship: her partner is the one that always holds her head up.
"He has always been my rock but when your rock cracks, it's tough," she said.
May's partner, Jason Court, recently found out his cancer had spread, and that he only had a few more months left to live.
The couple was already engaged, but May said the crushing news prompted her to move up their wedding date.
"He's my soulmate. I wanted to make sure he knew that," she said. "I'm not going to do this again. This is it for me."
An unexpected community response
Her sons got right behind her thoughts for a Valentine's Day wedding, with plans for 10 guests gathering at the hospital for the ceremony.
But when May put out a call on social media for wedding advice, she didn't anticipate how news would spread of the impromptu wedding in their community of Weyburn.
I guess you don't know what you have in a small town until you really need it. - Jennifer May
A woman May now calls her "earth angel" put out an all-call, and within 24 hours, people had pulled together to collect all the items for a wedding, including a dress for May and a tie for Court, shirts for their two boys, decorations, jewelry and photography services.
"I guess you don't know what you have in a small town until you really need it," said May, describing it as heartwarming beyond measure, and something she hopes to pay forward in the future.
"People step up in the strangest ways."
In the end, the couple ended up holding hands and exchanging rings before an audience of 65 people at the Captain's Hall in Weyburn, in what May calls an "emotional" ceremony.
Through it all, May said the strength of her boys blows her away. While she's set off crying simply by picking up socks, her kids tell her, "Daddy will be in a better place and not hurt any more."
As short as their marriage may turn out to be, May hopes to make the most of it.
"We are enjoying our time together now — not focusing on the negative, just focusing on spending time together."
