Earlier this summer we wrote about two wedding ceremonies that were planned months in advance, like most weddings, but the lucky couples did not anticipate the wildfires that would be occurring nearby. They both kept going in spite of the large smoke columns near Lake Isabella, California, and Bend, Oregon. The one in Oregon required the relocation of the reception.
On Saturday, September 13 a third wedding kept going in Corona, California and met the couple’s objectives, in spite of the noise created by large helicopters hovering and drafting water out of a nearby lake. The aircraft were working on the the Silverado Fire seven miles southwest of Corona. Check out the video below. The couple did not seem to be too bothered by the, uh, enhancement, of the ceremony. At least they have a story to tell.
Megan Reehill Watson and Rick Watson, June 14, 2014, with smoke from the Shirley Fire in the background. (used with permission from Makenzie Photography)
On June 8 we ran an incredible photo of a bride and groom that was taken just after they said “I do”. In the background of the photo was an ominous, dark column of smoke from the Two Bulls Fire near Bend, Oregon. Just after a shortened ceremony, the wedding party, guests, DJ, and caterer had to evacuate and relocate to a park in Bend. Other outlets also ran the photo, and it went viral quickly.
Saturday, June 14, a similar scene developed, but the ceremony went off without a hitch (however, they WERE hitched). Megan Reehill and Rick Watson, seen in the photo above, were married close enough to the Shirley Fire near Lake Isabella in California that the smoke from the fire also showed up in their photos. The ceremony and the reception took place at The Lodge at Painted Rock in Lake Isabella five miles south of the perimeter of the Shirley Fire (map).
When we asked permission from the photographer, Makenzie Barerfileld, to use the photo, she also provided the following information:
The photos were taken at the beginning of the fire, before it had grown to the devastation that it is presently. The father of the bride actually went to the fire officials early that morning to make sure we were safe and if we would need to evacuate the wedding venue or not. They told us when we saw the flames with our own eyes on the hills in the distance that we would have eight hours to evacuate the wedding venue, The Lodge at Painted Rock in Lake Isabella, CA. The backdrop was unavoidable. It was a constant reminder of the contrast of the day.
The bride explained that the outdoor wedding had been planned 10 months in advance, and after checking with the fire officials, they felt they could do it safely, and under those conditions the fire was not going to stop the wedding or force them to find a different venue at the last minute.
If you’d like to find out more about the happy couple, including their wedding plans, a brief bio, and how the proposal went, it is all at TheKnot.com. And just for the hell of it, I sent them a wedding gift. They are registered at the Pottery Barn and Macy’s.
(UPDATE at 8 p.m. PT, June 8, 2014: After posting the photo and the description that was on Instagram, we heard from the managers of the facility where the wedding took place. We added more details below Mr. Newton’s description.)
Below is the description of the above photo on Instagram, which was taken by Josh Newton:
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“Rock Springs Ranch Weddings, Bend OR
Yesterday’s wedding is definitely one for the books. About 11am, a small brush fire turned into a giant wildfire about 6 miles from the ceremony site. The wedding was at 4, and everyone was setup. Right as the bride was about to walk down, a firetruck came in sirens blaring and told the bride we had to evacuate. In tears, her father announced to all the guests that we had to move the wedding. Incredibly, the fireman then told us we could have the ceremony and then had to leave. I’ve never seen anything like what happened next. Everyone moved the entire wedding to a park in Bend, all with smiles and good attitudes. It showed everyone at the wedding what really mattered – the people and the couple. The location change didn’t affect the wedding at all, it was the most beautiful day. In planning my own wedding, it was an incredible reminder to really value and cherish the most important things in life. While the guests, caterers, and DJ all moved to Drake Park and setup, we snuck away and got some of the most incredible wedding photos I’ve ever taken. This is just with my phone, but can’t wait to show you all the rest.”
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The rest of the story
As we said in the update above, after posting the photo and Mr. Newton’s description we heard from Kelly Louden of the Rock Springs Ranch near Bend, Oregon, the venue for the wedding. Much of their time at the ranch between June and October is spent planning and hosting weddings at their facility.
Ms. Louden told us that the bride had actually started to walk down the aisle when a white fire vehicle drove up with its siren going. The driver, presumably a firefighter since he had on a yellow shirt, told the wedding party that they had to evacuate immediately because of the threat from the Two Bulls Fire. The bride explained that they were just beginning a wedding. The firefighter then excused himself and talked on his radio for a few minutes. He came back and said the ceremony could go on, but then they would have to leave. — there would be no time for a reception at that location.
After a shortened 15-minute version of the ceremony, everyone at the wedding, the friends, family, caterers, and DJ began throwing stuff into their cars and trucks. Everything needed for the reception had to go, including food, dishes, utensils, furniture, beverages, the cake, gifts, DJ equipment, speakers, flowers and decorations. The caterer had an idea about an alternative location in a park in Bend, and while the relocation was getting underway, Josh Newton, the photographer, took the bride and groom aside and shot a lot of what he described above as “some of the most incredible wedding photos I’ve ever taken”. Josh, by the way, is a professional photographer based out of Santa Barbara, California, and takes assignments all over the world. The photo above was taken with his cell phone, but he no doubt has hundreds of photos taken at the wedding with real cameras to sort through and post process.
They all went to the park where they reassembled the wedding. It turned out to be a very positive experience for everyone. And they all now have a story to tell.
