It was, as Danielle Searcy put it, her “dream wedding.” On the evening of Oct. 27, 100 of her closest family and friends gathered at Rachel’s Lakeside in Dartmouth, Mass., to celebrate her marriage to Travis Smart.

Homemade candy apples prepared by her bridesmaids served as the seating arrangements; a mix of white pumpkins, sunburst daisies and other displays of fall foliage acted as centerpieces. A three-tiered cake, adorned with roses and sunflowers, was decorated to look like white birchwood with the newlywed’s initials “carved” on front. After it was all said and done, Ms. Searcy and her now-husband were sent off into the night amidst a canopy of crackling sparklers.

It was the perfect autumn ceremony — and it couldn’t have been possible without the generous donated services of six local vendors who pulled together to provide Bristol resident Ms. Searcy — a petty officer second class in the Navy, where she has been active duty for seven years — and Mr. Smart their wedding for free.

“It’s been a blessing,” said Ms. Searcy.

Going above and beyond

A year ago, Ms. Searcy was tagged in a Facebook post where the vendors — Amanda Barker of Hidden Host Events, Andrea Soave Nadeau of Carina e Dolce Specialty Cakes and Cookies, Jay Lane of Golden Gate Studios, Nicole Pelissier Mulstay of Nicole Pelissier Photography, Stephen Brodd of Pro Sound DJ Entertainment, and officiant Darlene Donnelly — were advertising their wedding services for free to a military member. Ms. Searcy decided to give it a shot and commented with her wedding date.

The rest, as they say, is history. Ms. Searcy credits her wedding planner, Ms. Barker, for keeping her sane, and labeled Mr. Lane as “the sweetest man ever.” Mr. Lane, whose father also served in the Navy, even went above his advertised donated fee, giving away $1,500 worth of flowers for the ceremony.

“They’ve all gone above and beyond to help me,” said Ms. Searcy.

In her second year participating in the giveaway for military members, Ms. Nadeau, whose cake was valued at $500, has enjoyed being a part of the special ceremonies and is something she hopes to continue to be able to do.

“It’s a great giveback for those serving our country.”

Forever thankful

It was a moment, however, that almost never even came. Following her enlistment after graduating from Brockton High School seven years ago, Ms. Searcy was sent to Florida, then California. It was there that she began to reconnect with Mr. Smart — one of her brother’s best friends while growing up, a boy she had always noticed. They began a long-distance romance four years ago, but it was tough — at one point, Ms. Searcy even called it quits.

It was during that break, however, that Ms. Searcy realized she’d found the one. Having recently had a fallout with her mother, she desperately needed someone to talk to. She reached out to Mr. Smart, who was all too willing to lend her an ear.

“Even after breaking it off, he was there for me,” Ms. Searcy recalled. She wasn’t going to let that go again.

In June of 2015, they began officially dating; he helped her move back across the country, where Ms. Searcy is currently stationed in Newport, making a road trip out of it as they adventured to places like the Grand Canyon, Nashville and Washington, DC. They had their daughter, Harper, in July the following year. During Easter of 2017, Mr. Smart popped the question with an Easter basket.

“Each egg had a reason why he loved me,” Ms. Searcy remembered.

He presented the most important egg last — a big, beautiful silver one — which held the ring inside.

In February of this year, the couple welcomed their son, Parker. Both children were in the wedding, but with Parker being only eight months old, Ms. Searcy said they won’t do anything for a honeymoon just yet — hopefully, the couple will be able to do something special for their one-year anniversary.

For now, she’s simply grateful for the extreme kindness each of the vendors showed her over the course of the last year as she prepared to marry the man of her dreams.

“These guys are the ultimate best. I just don’t know how to thank them.”