“Do not lose hope. Please believe that there are a thousand beautiful things waiting for you. Sunshine comes to all who feel rain.” – R.M. Drake
Life doesn’t always go as planned. Including your wedding day.
Even when you have an event planner, no one can control the weather. And so it was with Hurricane Florence in September 2018.
Abbie & Will and Tiffany & Robert were planning for a September 15 wedding with family and friends. Abbie and Will were planning on a morning ceremony, following sunrise photos for their first look. Tiffany & Robert had been planning for a late afternoon outdoor ceremony, followed by a reception with lots of out of town guests.
Enter Florence. Forecasts were all over the place, but early in the week (when wedding day timelines and plans were to be finalized), meteorologists were predicting that NC would take a direct hit. In fact, many were heeding the warnings and evacuating not just from the east coast, but from central NC as well. Tiffany began receiving phone calls from guests who live out of state, stating they were not going to drive into the hurricane for the wedding.
As they began to realize their outdoor ceremony may not take place, Abbie & Will began making a contingency plan. They were determined to still get married that Saturday; as long as their pastor could show up, they would still tie the knot.
After a couple of days of watching forecasts, studying weather models, discussing with venues and other vendors, both couples had a plan. Abbie & Will would get married on the date they had planned, at a new location, with only a cake & lemonade reception, and few guests present. They got hitched, danced in the rain, and were on their way to their honeymoon in the mountains that evening.
Tiffany & Robert rescheduled their entire wedding for 3 weeks later, on October 5. They had originally wanted an October wedding, so this was a happy outcome. Of course, there were still some headaches with logistics in rescheduling an entire wedding, but they were rewarded with perfect weather, including a rainbow on their wedding day.
For both couples, the focus remained on what was important. They never lost sight of the reason for getting married and celebrating with their loved ones. Rain or shine, these couples are going to have a successful marriage if they can keep these things in focus. They were able to find joy, even in a hurricane. And there are many more beautiful things to come.