ATLANTA — On Friday night, Tony Villagomez and Andrea Harper spent time apart, as is tradition to not see the bride before the wedding. The two plan to say ‘I do’ on Saturday. But, their wedding day came a lot sooner than they thought -- and it wasn't planned that way.
“I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, and stage four cancer,” Harper said.
As a nurse, Harper had a strong and determined mindset after needing surgery for a brain tumor on Jan. 14. After the surgery, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma, which has no cure.
Then, she realized time is a funny thing. She and her future husband decided not to waste a single moment of it.
“I didn’t want to think about tomorrow without her," Villagomez said, with a hint of teary emotion in his voice.
Villagomez considers himself one of the luckiest people during the pandemic as he met his bride two years ago.
“I caught feelings, not COVID,” he said, half-joking. “The first time I ever met her, we were already wearing masks and stuff. And I was just taken aback by her eyes."
He said he was staring at her and didn't realize it until Harper looked up at him and complimented her glasses. The two didn't know it then, but the exchange would be the start of their love story.
Harper said she almost “friend-zoned” Villagomez until she realized his sweet personality and general good-natured attitude was something she valued above all other romantic gestures of her past.
The two dated, bought a house, became engaged and planned a summer 2022 wedding -- until her Jan. 10 diagnosis.
“I'm not trying to act like we're living on borrowed time, but definitely we were noticing that there was a sense of urgency that had to occur now because we don't know what tomorrow looks like,” said Villagomez.
He said he didn't have to wait until their planned wedding date and didn't need a huge celebration. Villagomez said it wasn't about the wedding, but about being Harper's life partner no matter what the two will face next.
"I told her, 'I wanted to be your husband,' while she goes through all this and show her how committed I am in being a partner, with a partner who has cancer, let alone an incurable one," he said.
Harper told her long-time close friend Samantha Shapiro of their sped-up nuptials and because of a shortage of ordained ministers due to COVID, Harper had an idea.
“They kind of seriously but jokingly asked if I would marry them on Saturday,” said Shapiro.
Without hesitation, Shapiro became an ordained minister and will be the one conducting their nuptials on their new wedding day.
But she won't be the only person making this wedding happen.
The soon-to-be husband and wife’s friends and family flew in from all over the country to be there to support them. Strangers also started asking what they could do to help once they heard of the couple's story.
Shapiro said people are donating decorations, engagement party material and even material for a wedding.
“People that I don't even, I've never even met coming together and helping friends of friends of friends are like ‘I have this you can use, I have this you can use.’ We even had someone offer to get make us a cake," Harper said.
Harper's hair, make-up, photography, cake, decorations are all taken care of, out of love for her story.
Tears began to crawl down Villagomez’s face when asked how he felt about so many people helping them make their special day the best it could possibly be.
“I don't know how people feel when they know that the person they love is going through this and dealing with this kind of stuff," he said. "And I spend days in a hospital with her and my mental bandwidth was just on her. I'm just like, ‘How can I do better for her? What can I do today for her?’ So when all these people are coming together - man, I don't feel alone. That's one thing."
Alicia Everett, another one of Harper’s friends who flew in to help with the wedding, said she never doubted the lovebird’s commitment to each other. And the fierce attention Villagomez gives to Harper as they work through cancer and a wedding just shows the love and dedication he has for her.
"That's just a special thing to have been a good bet on a good person," Everett said.
For Friday night, a small bachelorette party for Harper. On Saturday, a small wedding. Both occasions are full of big hearts.
Harper said it's surreal to think of so many people helping them make their dream come true. Villagomez added it’s Harper who is the dream come true.
“Dreams are always changing, but she's still in my dream. So that's tomorrow. It's our dream," he said.
The two will embark on a new journey as a married couple, while Harper battles cancer. An online fundraiser has been set up to help them along the way.