This article is from the archive of our partner .
"Dream wedding": Two special words, for two very special people. These two words have the power to unite, to create harmony and love for, ideally, years to come, and at the very least to bring families and friend together to celebrate in a place laden with palm trees and delicious daiquiris. Conversely, these two words can turn ugly. They may fester and burn the hearts and souls of those hoping so obsessively to create a magical moment that those people actually go completely and totally insane, and do terrible things. Terrible things people have done for their dream weddings include, in a non-exhaustive anecdotal list, making their bridesmaids crazy; spending all their savings; making themselves crazy; faking cancer to pay for their dream wedding.
Yes, it is so. A woman faked terminal cancer to raise money for her "lavish wedding reception and honeymoon." And she is now being punished by the forces that be—punished so harshly you'd almost feel sorry for her, except that she faked cancer to have her dream wedding. Let's take this tale as an instructional fable, a cautionary tale to be passed down to future generations of bridezillas. Jessica Vega, 25, is the New York bride that went there. Like a man killing another in wartime or perhaps Jean Valjean stealing bread to feed his family, Vega did the unthinkable for a greater good. She involved the Times Herald-Record, which ran a story on her wish: to have the wedding of her dreams after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Thousands of dollars in goods and services, from wedding dresses to a wig (Vega had shaved her head as part of the ruse) to plane tickets, plus plain old cash, were donated to help Vega achieve her dream. In 2010, the dream came to life: Vega was married to Michael O'Connell (it appears she tricked him with her story as well), and they went off to a delightful honeymoon in Aruba.