Bride's Venue Burns Down on Her Wedding Day, Community Steps In: 'Beauty from Ashes' (Exclusive)

After a couple's wedding venue went up in flames ahead of the ceremony, their community worked together to save the couple's special day

• Meredith and Joshua Diedrich originally planned to get married on Nov. 16 at Three Notch'd's barn, but the venue burned down on their wedding day

• With the help of their family, friends and the Three Notch'd staff, the bride and groom were able to have their wedding at another venue, and not a minute late.

• The "Beauty from Ashes" wedding was described as "a testament to love and resilience."

Instead of panicking when her venue burned down on her wedding day, a bride found "beauty from ashes."

Meredith Diedrich, 23, and Joshua Diedrich, 26, originally planned to tie the knot on Nov. 16 at The Lodge at Three Notch’d Brewery, Distillery & Craft Kitchen in Nellysford, Virginia. But the wedding venue unexpectedly burned down overnight.

"The Three Notch’d venue coordinator had called my mom, who then called me at 7 a.m. on the morning of my wedding to tell me that our wedding venue had burned down," Meredith tells PEOPLE. "It was completely gone."

Crews with Wintergreen Fire & Rescue were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. after passing drivers called to report the fire, according to WSET ABC 13 News. Upon arrival, the firefighters found heavy flames at the barn but were unable to extinguish them in time. While the nearby restaurant and brewery sustained only minor heat damage, its barn venue burned down entirely.

The official cause of the fire is still under investigation, but Meredith says it is believed to be electrical. She drove up to the rubble that morning to see how bad the damage was, and all that was left was the barn's collapsed roof and charred frames.

"The venue building was mostly made of wood, so it quickly went up in flames," she says.

Meredith initially thought that her mother was joking with her because she had never heard of this situation happening before. But the bride's worst nightmare was real.

"I never would’ve guessed those words would have come out of her mouth … I had no clue how to even react," she recalls.

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To make matters worse, the night before her wedding, Meredith's hair and makeup artist was admitted to the hospital due to a pregnancy-related medical issue.

The bride couldn't believe her bad luck. But after learning all of the "devastating news," she didn't panic.

"My bridesmaids had stayed overnight with me, so I called them into the room and told them what had happened. We all were in shock for a few minutes, then started to laugh," Meredith tells PEOPLE. "I had thought, 'What else is there to do but laugh it off?'"

That's when Meredith's sister, Hannah LeBlanc, whipped out her phone and recorded a video for TikTok of Meredith telling her fiancé the news, who also thought they were joking. When he realized they were for real, he got serious and contemplated their next move.

TikTok users commented that this was a sign from the universe to not get married. But Meredith and Joshua disagreed and got to work to plan a new wedding for the same day.

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Meredith and her mother called all of the wedding guests, notifying them of the situation. Meanwhile, the event coordinator at Three Notch’d reached out to nearby venues to find a new location, eventually discovering one just down the road — The Cider Hall at Blue Toad Cider Farm.

"The moment we got the confirmation for the new venue we all got to work," Meredith says. "Me, the bridesmaids, some family friends, my parents and the staff at both venues all worked to put everything together as quickly as possible at our new location, seven minutes down the street at Blue Toad Hard Cider."

She continues: "All of us started moving around chairs and decorations, while the staff were moving and delivering food and drinks from the original location. It truly took a village. Everyone was so helpful, kind and kept their cool. We were able to keep our venue start time the exact same, it was like nothing had happened aside from the venue change!"

Even though Meredith's hair and makeup artist offered to help her find a replacement, she thought it would be "too much added stress" to coordinate with an unknown alternative. Luckily, Autumn, her sister's friend who happened to be a hair and makeup artist, saw her TikTok and got right in her car, traveling more than two hours to help Meredith out.

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"Our wedding was intimate and heartfelt," Meredith says. "It wasn’t what we originally planned, but it turned into a day filled with deep love, meaningful moments, and memories we’ll treasure forever. It was a testament to love and resilience."

The wedding was dubbed "Beauty from Ashes."

"Despite the challenges, it became a day that reflected who we are as a couple: adaptable, full of love, and surrounded by our amazing support system," she continues. "The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting, where everyone felt at ease and connected. I felt the whole event brought everyone so much closer together, and this will be quite the story to tell our future kids one day."