As 23-year-old bride Christine Jo Miller walked towards her college sweetheart Jon on their wedding day in September, tears streamed down her face.
Wearing a stunning lace gown, and holding the arm of her father, Christine’s tears were not the usual tears of joy. Christine was actually in an incredible amount of pain after suffering an allergic reaction to the flowers she had used in her wedding bouquet.
She looked so miserable, some guests wondered whether she was having second thoughts as she was walking down the aisle.
“I literally couldn’t see my husband when I was saying my vows because my vision went blurry,” Christine told The Huffington Post.
“Our pastor cut it short and married us in a hurry because of the pain I was in.”
"She was struggling to keep her eyes open, and they were constantly watering. She just looked miserable," Jon told Inside Edition.
Moments after finishing their vows, the newlywed pair rushed straight to the hospital room, where a nurse administered a steroid shot, eye drops and pain medication.
It was then the couple learned what had gone so wrong: the flowers Christine had picked for her bouquet from her own property the night before her wedding were actually poisonous.
When Christine washed her face with her hands the day of her wedding, she didn't realise the plant's poisonous sap was still on her fingers.
After their trip to the hospital, Christine and Jon arrived at their own wedding reception more than three-and-a-half hours late.
Due to a red and bumpy rash spreading across her dress, Christine showed up wearing pyjama pants and a shirt that read "Bride" Jon had quickly purchased from Target.
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"I was the scariest-looking person at my wedding," Christine told Inside Edition.
A week later, Christine and Jon were surprised by their generous vendors with the chance to take the wedding photos they were never able to pose for before rushing to the hospital.
Christine's hair and makeup was re-created, and she was given a (hypoallergenic) new bouquet and hairpiece by a local florist. A new reception dinner was set up with the pair - complete with pizza - and her wedding photographer snapped pictures of the bride and groom.
"On September 2, 2017 we remember a whole lot about the poisonous plants, burning blind eyeballs, the ER visits, and becoming husband and wife under the sickness and health category that we already try to look back and laugh on," Christine wrote on Facebook, sharing her new and improved wedding pictures.
"But now we have an even more amazing story to tell because of these people we were so blessed to cross paths with.
"I am so thankful beyond words for each and every one of you and the grace you had towards me in making all of this so perfect and possible."
Despite the harrowing ordeal, Christine is thankful for what her less-than-perfect wedding day taught her about marriage.
"Focus on the big picture," the bride told the Omaha World-Herald.
"It's so hard to do that when you're trying to compare your wedding to other people.
"You are literally getting married. We make it such a big deal in all the wrong areas."