Words and Photography by Sarah Jane Sanders

The greatest gift you can give someone is the gift of time…

Hauling large Tupperware bins of wedding gowns, suits, rings and decorations to Northwest Haiti, bridal shop owner of 40 years Diane Cornelius gives couples, far too poor to afford a wedding of their own, a rare and precious gift: a wedding day. Most Haitian families live in common-law marriages, some for over 25 years, simply because of the expense a ceremony would incur. They usually have several children and are forced to survive on less than a dollar a day. It’s a daily reality that parents must often choose which child will not eat. But in this culture, a chance at marriage brings with it a sense of pride within their community and allows both bride and groom to be accepted as family and receive an inheritance. Once married, a younger woman will be treated with respect, and a middle-aged woman can now be called Madame.

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