Wedding Reception Saved From Flash Flood

Occurred on May 21, 2022 / Columbia, South Carolina, U

Info from Licensor: "At The Lacehouse wedding venue in Columbia, SC the wedding planner and venue team decided to move the reception under a tent (instead of keeping it around the water fountain like the couple planned) when the forecast started to look dicey. Then we started getting torrential downpours, lightning, and crazy thunder. Shortly after flash flood alerts started going off. My bride, Nikki, asked me (the wedding photographer and one of her friends since she was in high school) to go check the reception tent and make sure it was okay because she was anxious.

So I grabbed an umbrella and headed out. When I got under the tent I almost couldn’t react for a moment because the planner was trying to stay dry and get the table cloths up out of running water. I had sandals on so I offered to get into the running water and suggested draping the entire table cloth over the chairs so they wouldn’t keep falling back in. She was so appreciative of the help. and I took these videos and told her we’d need to lie to Nikki because there wasn’t a point in stressing her - we were hopeful the rain would stop in the next hour in time to drain and clean it up.

I go upstairs and Nikki asks how it looks. So in my most impressed and enthused voice I told her I was obsessed with her floral arrangements, that the gold chairs looked so classy, and that she planned a very elegant wedding. Then when she walked off to finish getting ready I pulled her mom aside to show her the video so she could call the bride’s dad and make sure a push broom and towels were brought.

The rain stopped and I helped the planner and venue team finish setting the tables so the planner could N to the outdoor ceremony site and try to set up. Then my second and I towel-dried chairs with the planner and a wedding guest.

By the time the ceremony started, it was like it never happened and we didn’t even show the couple this video until the end of the reception. She was shocked ! & so thankful we didn’t tell her because she would have panicked."