It sounds like the plotline of a rom-com bromance: Groomsmen accidentally invited a stranger who lives 2,800 miles away to attend a bachelor party, and incredibly, he showed up. Not only did this happen in real life but the stranger in question is now raising funds to pay for the couple's honeymoon!
The saga began on February 11th, when Joey DiJulio from Burien, Washington, received a cryptic email about a bachelor party taking place in Philadelphia. He didn't recognize anyone who matched the groom's description (the note said he had a beard and looked like a "middle-aged Pavarotti"). Instead of deleting the email, marking it as spam or asking to be removed from "reply all," he kept following the thread, entertained by the groomsmen's witty responses.
Photo Credit: GoFundMe
Eventually, he alerted the guys to their mistake, joking that booking a cross-country flight just to crash a bachelor's party would be epic, albeit over-the-top. To his surprise, the bridal party not only encouraged him to attend the bash, but they even offered to chip in to cover the cost of his trip. Jeff Minetti, the groom, upped the ante by writing that he would "overnight a wedding invite" and "make you my best man" if he were to follow through.
DiJulio set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of the flight. After surpassing his goal, he decided to put the extra money toward's Minetti's honeymoon to Italy with his soon-to-be wife. As of publication, more than $8,000 has been raised so far. “I just want to definitely make sure this day really is about Jeff,” DiJulio told BuzzFeed News. “I’m just a sideshow along for the ride.”
"We're very touched," Minetti tells Good Morning America. "For him to do this for us out of the blue is a total godsend."
The email buddies finally met face-to-face on March 28th and they hit it off. The bachelor festivities included a stop at Tony Luke's, a duck tour, basketball and shuffleboard, and gambling at SugarHouse casino.
Minetti is getting married on May 2nd and needless to say, he's rooting for his favorite crasher to attend!
— Stefania Sainato
- ssainato's blog
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