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.

@bl.starke

if we dont laugh we will cry #unreal #photographer #photographersoftiktok ♬ Type Shit - Future & Metro Boomin & Travis Scott & Playboi Carti

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.

Related: Couple Has Surprise Wedding at Baby Shower: 'Everyone Was in Shock' (Exclusive)

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.

@hannahradaa

+ her makeup and hair lady went into labor last night