Mariah Kiel had imagined her wedding with her mother for most of her life. They watched wedding shows together, saved ideas and pictured the day Mariah would eventually walk down the aisle.

Then a devastating diagnosis changed the meaning of that dream.

Mariah’s mother, Marla Khetem, was diagnosed with ALS on May 9 and given an estimated six to 18 months to live. As her health declined far more quickly than the family expected, Mariah and her partner, Brayden Kiel, realized the wedding they were planning for Sept. 27 might come too late.

Brayden had already adjusted his plans once. Seeing how serious Marla’s condition had become, he proposed to Mariah on May 17, about two months earlier than he originally intended.

The couple immediately began preparing for a September wedding. Mariah found her dress quickly, and the family tried to hold onto hope that Marla would be there.

But by July, her condition had deteriorated dramatically.

On July 10, Marla gathered her family for a difficult conversation with a chaplain. Afterward, Mariah understood what she had been trying not to accept: waiting until September could mean losing the chance for her mother to witness the marriage at all.

So she called Brayden.

Two days later, they were married.

The July 12 ceremony came together at Mariah’s parents’ home in South Carolina with almost no preparation time. Brayden’s mother and sister drove overnight from New Jersey. Friends who had already been planning to attend a bridal shower that weekend were nearby, while relatives and members of the wedding party rushed to turn the home into a place where Mariah and Brayden could exchange vows.

Mariah’s father, Moose Khetem, made the wedding cake. Her maid of honor arranged bouquets and boutonnieres, while the best man helped bring the flowers and officiant to the house.

It was far removed from the elaborate celebration Mariah and her mother had once imagined.

But the person who mattered most was there.

Mariah walked through her parents’ home with her father beside her and married Brayden while Marla was able to witness it. Afterward, the newlyweds shared their first dance. Mariah and Moose also danced together in a moment meant to honor Marla.

For Mariah, the hurried ceremony proved more important than any decoration or carefully planned detail.

“Time was precious,” she later said.

The family still hoped Marla might survive long enough to attend the larger September celebration.

She died from ALS on Sept. 19.

Mariah and Brayden’s wedding at Sonesta Resort Hilton Head Island was scheduled for Sept. 27 — only eight days later.

The loss transformed what should have been a week of anticipation into one filled with grief. Yet the family continued preparing, determined to make Marla part of the celebration in every way they could.

Relatives worked through the night on final preparations while wearing “Team Marla” shirts. At the welcome party, Mariah wore her mother’s wedding dress, and guests wore pins bearing Marla’s picture.

On the wedding morning, photographs of Marla surrounded Mariah in the bridal suite. Her parents’ wedding album was displayed there, along with the mother-of-the-bride dress Marla had expected to wear.

More reminders followed throughout the ceremony.

Mariah carried a charm honoring her mother on her bouquet. Brayden and Moose had angel charms attached to their boutonnieres. Because Marla had been a devoted Cubs fan, members of the wedding party carried pink Cubs handkerchiefs.

Tulips, Marla’s favorite flowers, became one of the most emotional symbols of the day. Members of the wedding party each carried a single tulip down the aisle before placing the flowers on a chair reserved in her memory.

Later, the DJ played Billy Joel’s “Only the Good Die Young.”

The song brought guests together in a large embrace as they laughed, cried and danced.

For Mariah, that moment made her mother’s absence feel almost like a presence.

The Sept. 27 celebration may have resembled the wedding Mariah and Marla had spent years imagining. But it was the decision made months earlier, under heartbreaking circumstances and with only 48 hours to prepare, that ensured Marla experienced what mattered most.

She saw her daughter get married.

And for Mariah and Brayden, that made July 12 a decision they would never regret.