ROBIN YOUNG, HOST: 
 
 It's HERE AND NOW. 
 
 And when we were in Atlanta earlier this week, a story caught our eye. It started as a nightmare. A family had invested thousands in a wedding - dinner for 200 at the Villa Christina restaurant, complete with gold plates, crystal glasses. Then something went wrong; the wedding was called off. What to do? Well, the family decided to give the reception to the homeless. 
 
 The Fowler family of Atlanta donated their reception to groups like Hosea Feed the Hungry and Mary Hall Freedom House. They were the recipients. Joining us from the studios of WABE in Atlanta are Carol Fowler, one of the hosts. Welcome. 
 
 CAROL FOWLER: Thank you. 
 
 YOUNG: And Elisabeth Omilami. She's with Hosea Feed the Hungry. Elisabeth, welcome to you as well. 
 
 ELISABETH OMILAMI: Thank you so much. 
 
 YOUNG: And Carol, we don't want to pry, but we know that it was your daughter, Tamara, who actually went to the reception that is now - that was now for the homeless in the Atlanta area - who was part of a wedding that was called off. Was this a shock to you, the parent, when this happened? 
 
 FOWLER: Yes, we were surprised, and we're very pleased that she's handling it so well. 
 
 YOUNG: I should say so. I mean, going to... 
 
 FOWLER: Yes, indeed. 
 
 YOUNG: Going to the reception that was going to be for her, and now it's for 200 strangers. 
 
 FOWLER: Yes, and she was also very delighted to see and know that others had an opportunity to enjoy something rather than just allow it to go to waste. 
 
 YOUNG: Well, but here you are, the parent, and along with your husband, Willie Fowler, I only imagine this was costing thousands. You had 200 guests, beautiful place settings; it just seemed like a wonderful hall. You could've had 200 of your friends. You could've had the friends who were invited still come, and feed them. When was the decision made to give this meal to the homeless? 
 
 FOWLER: Forty days prior to the wedding, when we were made aware that there would no longer be a wedding, it was my husband's idea. We prayed about it. And when he woke up the next morning, he said, we're going to call Hosea Feed the Hungry, and ask if we can donate it to the needy. I immediately looked up the number and called, and spoke with Mrs. Elisabeth Omilami. And in doing so, we partnered. And it was such a wonderful feeling just to partner with them. 
 
 YOUNG: Yeah. Well, I want to bring Elisabeth in. Elisabeth, what happens when you get that phone call from the Fowlers saying, we'd like to give you our reception for 200? 
 
 OMILAMI: At first, I thought it was a prank call because it was such an amazing offering. And then she said she wanted to focus on women and families, that she wanted to focus on children - which 70 percent of the homeless in Atlanta are children. And so we had an opportunity to go out and look for places like the Nicholas House and Metro Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless, as well as Mary Hall Freedom House. We'd called them all. We said, the Fowler family is going to have a party for you! Then they said, what do you mean? Then we said, it's just for you. There's no cost. All you have to do is get there. They never would've - we were talking about which fork to use. 
 
 (LAUGHTER) 
 
 OMILAMI: And we would try to teach the children about the etiquette of sitting at a formal table setting. So it was just an exciting day, and example of how we can address the issues of homelessness across the country. 
 
 YOUNG: Elisabeth, tell us more about the actual meal. You mentioned the forks - probably three, you know, and then a couple of spoons. And I mentioned, this is at the Villa Christina, beautiful settings, sweet tea lemonade, hors d'oeuvres. 
 
 OMILAMI: Four glasses. 
 
 YOUNG: Four glasses, which... 
 
 OMILAMI: Yes. Four glasses... 
 
 YOUNG: For a lot of people is... 
 
 OMILAMI: And a wonderful - passed hors d'oeuvres, and then a wonderful four-course meal as well as dessert. The passed hors d'oeuvres were very interesting because the children were wondering, could we take the whole tray or do we just take one off of the tray? 
 
 (LAUGHTER) 
 
 OMILAMI: So this was an educational opportunity as well because now, they all know how to eat at a four-course meal, and the etiquette involved in that. 
 
 YOUNG: That's Elisabeth Omilami of Hosea Feed the Hungry. It's a homeless organization in the Atlanta area. They were the beneficiary of an incredible gift from the Fowler family. We're speaking with Carol Fowler. She was supposed to be the mother of the bride. You're listening to HERE AND NOW. 
 
 Well, so here you have this event just this past Sunday. We understand you renamed it from Tamara's wedding to the First Annual Fowler Family Celebration of Love. 
 
 OMILAMI: Yes, and I got that from Mr. Fowler because it was his birthday. It was his 70th birthday, and he could have had his own birthday party, but he got up and he talked about what it meant to be a real man. And he talked about the commitment to the community, as a real man. And after I heard him speak, I realized that this was a celebration of love - love between Carol and Willie and the Fowler family, their love for the poor, and Hosea Feed the Hungry's love for the 61,000 people we serve per year. 
 
 YOUNG: OK. So it's been renamed the First Annual Fowler Family Celebration of Love. 
 
 OMILAMI: Yes. 
 
 YOUNG: Will there be another one, Carol? 
 
 FOWLER: We would love it to happen, and we will start working on it immediately. What we would like to do is look for sponsors, to have a larger gathering. 
 
 YOUNG: Well, and I'm wondering, too, you might also get the word out that if others have, I mean, weddings get canceled. Thousands of them get canceled every year. 
 
 FOWLER: Yes. Mm-hmm. 
 
 YOUNG: We did a story about a website where you can resell your wedding, but what an idea to maybe give it away. And I'm sure there was a little - perhaps a tax write-off; not that that's why you would ever do it. 
 
 OMILAMI: Available. 
 
 YOUNG: Yeah. 
 
 OMILAMI: The difference in selling your wedding and giving it away, as the Fowlers did, is that these children will never forget what they experienced - for the rest of their lives. 
 
 FOWLER: Exactly. 
 
 OMILAMI: We had a face painting there. We had 16 different - the entertainment for the children, 16 different acts. And then the inspirational teaching that we got to pour into them to let them know, your beginning does not determine your destiny. 
 
 FOWLER: Exactly. That is not our main focus - a tax write-off - because if we're able just to save one child in that group and have them soar to the heights of corporate America, we will have won. 
 
 YOUNG: Well, and I'm thinking, too, Carol Fowler, something Elisabeth just said - that the message that came from your husband and others to these kids was, your beginning is not your destiny - I'm wondering if that's a message for your daughter Tamara as well. 
 
 FOWLER: I'm certain it is. As I indicated and stated previously, she is handling it very well. There is no empathy or pity to be given. She is a young, educated, black woman with many opportunities. 
 
 YOUNG: Well, in the picture that I'm looking at in the Atlanta Constitution as she greets her guests at what was going to be her wedding, she looks pretty happy. 
 
 FOWLER: She is... 
 
 OMILAMI: And she was. 
 
 FOWLER: There's a message I would like to leave with the public, and that is: Events are canceled and sometimes, for unknown reasons. Do not allow that opportunity to go to waste. Call up your favorite charity. Give them an opportunity to use that for people that will not have an opportunity, perhaps, in life. 
 
 YOUNG: That's Carol Fowler. She was to be the mother of the bride. But when a wedding was canceled, the family decided to give it to the homeless. We've also been speaking with Elisabeth Omilami of Hosea Feed the Hungry, the homeless organization in the Atlanta area that was one of the recipients of the Fowler family's generosity. Thank you both. 
 
 FOWLER: You're welcome. 
 
 OMILAMI: Thank you, Robin. 
 
 FOWLER: Thank you, Robin. 
 
 YOUNG: To heck with that guy! 
 
 (LAUGHTER) 
 
 FOWLER: She is not marred by it, in the least. 
 
 OMILAMI: ...missed a beat. 
 
 (LAUGHTER) 
 
 YOUNG: Sorry, a little editorializing there. From NPR and WBUR Boston, I'm Robin Young. 
 
 JEREMY HOBSON, HOST: 
 
 I'm Jeremy Hobson. This is HERE AND NOW. 
 
 (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. ||||| When Willie and Carol Fowler's only daughter cancelled her wedding 40 days before she was set to walk down the aisle, the parents were faced with a venue, food and entertainment that had all been paid for. 
 
 But instead of cancelling everything and losing their deposits, they decided to change the guest list -- to 200 homeless people. 
 
 "We went home that evening and my husband woke up the next morning and I was in the process of cancelling out the venue and he said, 'No, what we'll do is donate it to Hosea Feed the Hungry,'" Carol Fowler told ABCNews.com today. 
 
 "It was a vision," Fowler said of her husband's idea. "He said he had prayed on it during the night and God had directed him and that's what we were going to do." 
 
 The Fowlers called Hosea Feed the Hungry, an organization that their daughter had volunteered for when she was younger. It is a nonprofit organization in Atlanta, Ga., that provides homeless individuals with services and resources. 
 
 "When they first called, the administration thought it was a prank call because it was too good to be true," Quisa Foster of Hosea Feed the Hungry said. "It's a very creme de la creme wedding venue, so to say that you're going to host 200 homeless individuals at Villa Christina -- it sounds like a prank call." 
 
 The Fowlers persisted and eventually had a meeting with the organization to prove their good intentions and plan the event. 
 
 On Sept. 15, buses transported 200 homeless women, children and families to Villa Christina for the event. It began at 2 p.m. with outdoor appetizers and space for the children to run and play. 
 
 The event then moved inside, where the approximately 50 children had a room to themselves with face-painting, juggling and crowns. 
 
 "The children had chicken fingers, French fries, fresh fruit and chocolate chip cookies," Carol Fowler said. "The adults had salmon and chicken." 
 
 "All the plates were empty and there wasn't any leftover food at all. It was an eye-opening experience," Foster said. "You go to weddings sometimes and you see a lot of people really waste food. We take so many things for granted. These clients or guests, as we call them, they don't." 
 
 The day's "inspiration program" included a motivational speaker for the adults. 
 
 "When you look at the faces of the women and children and actually participated in the event, they look like you and me," Foster said. "These are working families that for whatever reason -- the recession, economic turn -- have found themselves in a place where they're without a place to live and starting over." 
 
 "It was a wonderful event. It brought tears to my eyes," she said. 
 
 The Fowlers were very involved in the whole event and enjoyed greeting all of their guests. Their daughter was also on hand for a day that was "bittersweet but rewarding" for her, Willie Fowler said. The family declined to comment on why the wedding had been cancelled. 
 
 "There is no way to explain how it makes you feel, but it's wonderful," Willie Fowler said of seeing the joy at the event. 
 
 "It's just that wonderful, rewarding feeling," Carol Fowler said. "If we could just inspire one youth in that crowd to rise above the situation today and be a very responsible member of society tomorrow, that would be extremely rewarding." 
 
 The Fowlers are hoping to make the affair a yearly event that will be two days and incorporate educational elements for the participants. 
 
 They pointed out that events are cancelled all the time and encouraged others to think about donating 
 
 "If you have cancelled an event, do not walk away. Pick up the phone and call your favorite charity and offer it to them," Carol Fowler said. "We're regular, working people and anybody can do this. This is not star stuff." ||||| share tweet pin email 
 
 Today Children attend a party that was converted for a celebration for the homeless by a family who donated their cancelled wedding reception. 
 
 Carol and Willie Fowler had planned an elaborate, sophisticated wedding reception for their daughter, only to have it canceled six weeks before the ceremony. So the Atlanta couple turned their heartbreak into an occasion for celebration — throwing a party for more than 200 homeless people instead. 
 
 “My husband actually prayed about it,” Carol Fowler said. “The next morning he woke, I was in the process of canceling the venue, letting them know that we had no use for it, and he said, ‘No, we’re going to call "Hosea Feed the Hungry" and have them round up people from the shelters.'” 
 
 Fowler said she loved the idea, especially since “we were going to spend this money anyway" with only 40 days left before the Sept. 15 ceremony. 
 
 Neither of the Fowlers had worked with "Hosea Feed the Hungry" before but knew about the organization because both of their children — their daughter, Tamara, and their son — had volunteered for the Atlanta-based nonprofit group. 
 
 Today The couple wanted to do something positive with the money they'd spent on the event, so they turned the party into entertainment for local homeless families, bringing in entertainment like a clown for the kids. 
 
 “At first I thought it was a prank call. I thought somebody was joking with us,” recalled Elizabeth Omilami, the charity’s chief executive office. 
 
 But she quickly realized that the Fowlers were for real — and started working to meet their wishes of gathering 200 people, preferably women with children, for a full sit-down meal at a swanky local restaurant. 
 
 “We didn’t get any cash out of it, but people found out that somebody cares about them and that’s worth more than any cash we could have given them,” she said. 
 
 Omilami arranged to have buses transport residents from three area shelters to the restaurant for the afternoon celebration. Guests were greeted with glass tumblers of punch and lemonade and plated hors d’oeuvres of beef tenderloin kabob, coconut shrimp and, for the kids, mac ’n cheese shooters. 
 
 Children were greeted by a clown, juggler and face painter. They later were served their own special meals of chicken fingers, French fries and fresh fruit in a room separate from the adults, who sat down to a meal of salmon and chicken. 
 
 Alvin Evans / Today Guests attending a party that originally was supposed to be a wedding reception, but converted into a party for the homeless. 
 
 “The feeling was one you cannot explain, to see the faces and hear their thank you’s,” Fowler said of the guests. Her entire family attended the celebration, including her husband, children and her grandchildren. 
 
 Fowler, who declined to comment on why the wedding was canceled, said her daughter found the experience “surreal but incredibly rewarding.” What made it all the more special was the fact that the party fell on the day before the 70th birthday of Fowler’s husband. 
 
 “In lieu of having all of our friends, and we could have packed the place with just our friends, he opted to have people from shelters be our guests,” he said. 
 
 Julie Bilecky, sales and marketing director of the party’s venue, Villa Christina, called the event “awesome.” 
 
 “What a way to make lemonade out of lemons,” she said. “Carol and Bill did a phenomenal job of giving back to the community. It could have been difficult situation but everyone worked together to make it a different kind of party. It was fabulous.” 
 
 The event turned out so great that the Fowlers hope to hold a similar opportunity annually and already have started thinking about sponsors for next year. 
 
 “We feel that this is something that God would like us to do because obviously, we did not set out to do this,” she said.
– Willie and Carol Fowler were prepared to lose their deposits. Their daughter canceled her Georgia wedding with just 40 days' notice, and the venue, food, and entertainment were already paid for. Then Willie had "a vision," his wife tells ABC News. "I was in the process of canceling out the venue and he said, 'No, what we'll do is donate it to Hosea Feed the Hungry.'" Their daughter had volunteered for the organization, which helps homeless people in the Atlanta area, when she was younger. And that's how, on Sept. 15, the Fowler Family Celebration of Love was born. Two hundred guests were bused to Villa Christina for a four-course meal complete with coconut shrimp and salmon (the 50 kids in attendance got chicken fingers). The family hopes to get sponsors and make it an annual event, Carol tells WBUR. A rep for Hosea Feed the Hungry said the nonprofit initially thought the Fowlers were pulling their leg: "It's a very creme de la creme wedding venue, so to say that you're going to host 200 homeless individuals at Villa Christina—it sounds like a prank call." The Fowlers' daughter attended the event, and her dad says it was a "bittersweet but rewarding" experience; her mom tells Today Tamara found it "surreal but incredibly rewarding." Carol has this advice: "If you have canceled an event, do not walk away. Pick up the phone and call your favorite charity and offer it to them. We're regular, working people and anybody can do this. This is not star stuff." (In Boston, a homeless man who did a very good deed is being handsomely rewarded.)