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A kind-hearted Atlanta couple made the best out of a bad situation by donating their daughter's canceled wedding reception to the homeless.

Carol and Willie Fowler decided that the first-rate meal they had reserved for Sunday, Sept. 15 at upmarket Villa Christina restaurant shouldn't go to waste -- so they invited 200 of the Atlanta's destitute to join them.

Bosses at Hosea Feed the Hungry charity initially thought the offer to feed their attendees a lavish four-course meal was a practical joke.

But the Fowlers, who have not revealed why daughter Tamara's nuptials were called off just 40 days beforehand, insisted they were sincere -- and the event went ahead, albeit with a new list of invitees.

"It was my husband's idea," Mrs. Fowler told WBUR.

"We prayed about it. And when he woke up the next morning, he said, 'We're going to call Hosea Feed the Hungry and ask if we can donate it to the needy,'" she added.

Many of the guests were not accustomed to the gold plates and crystal stemware at Villa Christina, nor the formal presentation of the food. 

"The passed hors d'oeuvre were very interesting because the children were wondering, 'could we take the whole tray, or do we just take one off of the tray?'" said Elisabeth Omilami, CEO of Hosea Feed the Hungry.  "So this was an educational opportunity as well, because now they all know how to eat at a four-course meal and the etiquette involved in that." 

Mrs. Fowler said that Tamara was in attendance and also ended up enjoying herself. 

"We're very pleased that she's handling it so well. She was delighted to see and know others had an opportunity to enjoy something, rather than allow it to go to waste," Fowler added.