'We can finally get married:' Knightdale couple will use $250K lottery win for wedding

A Knightdale man will be able to get married following a $250,000 lottery win over the weekend.

Fredrick Richardson bought the winning Hit $500 ticket at a Shop N Go on N.C. Highway 39 in Zebulon on Saturday.

“I thought I’d probably won $5 or $50, but then I finished scratching, and I started crying and thinking, ‘Is this for real?’” Richardson said. “When I showed my girlfriend, she started crying and the first thing she said was, ‘We can finally get married.’”

Richardson claimed his prize Monday in Raleigh and took home $176,249 after tax withholdings.

In addition to paying for a wedding, Richardson said he plans to use some of the money to buy a new Chevy Equinox.

“My girlfriend and I have wanted to get married for a while,” Richardson said. “It just got pushed to the back burner since we didn’t have the funds, but now we finally can.”

The Hit $500 ticket launched earlier this month, with six top prizes of $250,000. Lottery officials said four top prizes remain.