PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Emily Harris has been a Taylor Swift fan for more than half her life.
"You know, I've been listening to her really, since the very, very beginning," Harris said. "The first time I saw her was in 2008 when she opened up for Rascal Flatts."
Like a reliable friend, Harris said Taylor Swift has been there for her lows and highs, most recently, an engagement to the love of her life.
"We're wedding planning that seems to be, you know, what's playing," Harris said.
That made it all the more heartbreaking when that dream wedding became the reason she planned to part with a memorable 16th birthday gift from her dad — a Taylor Swift-signed guitar. She clearly remembers the moment it was gifted to her.
"I go and open it, and I just remember bawling my eyes out and, like, not even having words and not knowing what to do when I realized what it was," Harris said.
It was a treasure, that more than a decade later, she knew she could sell for big bucks to pay for her big day.
"It was very hard," Harris said. "I felt like it was the responsible thing to do, you know, to try and afford everything because we're paying for our wedding ourselves."
Her dad explained as much in a Taylor Swift Facebook group, expecting to hear from eager buyers. What they heard instead from more than 700 commenters shocked them.
"He's like, people keep commenting saying like, you can't sell it, never do that," Harris explained. "And then he started saying that people were saying, you know, start a GoFundMe and we will donate to help with wedding bills, but that way she can keep the guitar. She can never let that go. That's such a priceless thing. And my dad told me that, I was like, woah!"
While Emily said she was hesitant, they ended up creating that fundraising page, quickly raising more than $1,000.
Donors left comments such as, "Have a beautiful wedding from one Swiftie to another."
"I've been speechless, really," she said. "I feel like this is a reminder that there are good people in this world. There is just genuine good in this world."
The guitar is now a treasured item that not only connects her to her favorite artist but a unique community.
"You know, we're friends now. We're Swifties, we're buddies," Harris said. "It's worldwide that people are so connected because of one person that, you know, you don't know this person. But we have this in common."
Harris, who is a behavioral therapist for children with autism, is getting married in November and said the guitar will play a big role in the couple's wedding story. She said she's now looking forward to passing it down to her kids one day.
You can see Emily Harris' GoFundMe page by clicking here.