A wedding with lobster, steak and a wedding cake sounds normal. But what if it takes place at a homeless shelter?
That's exactly happened at what’s being called America’s First Homeless Resort in Haines City.
Lynette Hudson said she told the founder of the homeless facility that she wanted to get married, and that what she got in return was the wedding of her dreams.
“We had a traditional ceremony, wedding dress, tux," she said. "We had beautiful vows that we said to each other."
But Hudson admits there’s nothing traditional about her situation. Her and her new husband, Steve, are homeless, and they live at the America’s First Homeless Resort. It’s a hotel used to house low-income or homeless people in the area.
But if you think that being homeless stopped them from having the best of the best at their wedding, think again.
“We had filets, lobster tails, potatoes, vegetables,” Hudson said.
The happy couple tied the knot at a church at the hotel site. And if you’re wondering how they paid for this wedding, the shelter's founder, Sean Cononie, said coming up with the money was surprisingly easy.
“Not only do we have a hotel which creates income, we own a newspaper, which creates income," he said. "I personally give thousands and thousands of dollars a year."
Cononie also got a big payday when he relocated his shelter to Polk County from Hollywood (Florida). That city paid him $5 million with the promise that he wouldn’t return for the next 30 years.
But for people like Hudson, Cononie is helping make her dreams come true. She hopes it will help her come a little closer to living that more traditional life she’s been wanting.
“Hopefully we’re trying to get up a vehicle and get employment and get a home to live in outside of here,” Hudson said.
Cononie also paid for the couple’s honeymoon at Disney World. He said he’s willing to do this for other people as long as they can prove they’re down on their luck.