Who invited Bertha? Wedding descends from perfect day into stormy chaos as tail-end of hurricane that battered the Caribbean causes flooding during ceremony
As the old saying goes, it’s not about waiting for the storm to pass.
And for Katy Lomas and her groom Richard Owen, that adage really hit home – when they spent their wedding day literally dancing in the rain.
The newly-weds, from Sheffield, were walking down the aisle in the conservatory at Wentworth Castle, Barnsley, when the tail-end of ex-hurricane Bertha, which had swept in from across the Atlantic, brought rain pelting down on the venue roof.
Not only was the torrential downpour enough to drown out the couple’s voices as they exchanged vows, but it also proved too much for the conservatory roof – which started leaking.
Within seconds, the rain was pouring down through the roof – and guests were soon stood in a foot of water.
If that wasn’t enough, the couple soon realised that their reception venue – a £6,000 tipi which was set up for a lavish sit-down dinner – was completely flooded.
But, with a bit of old-fashioned British stoicism, guests banded together to ensure the day could go ahead as planned.
Shunning their shoes, hitching up their dresses and braving the storm, family, friends and staff moved the entire reception back into the conservatory for a magical day – with these incredible photos as the result.
Hours later, the drenched couple ended the night dancing bare-foot in the rain, surrounded by their loved ones.
Katy, an architect, said: ‚I look back on those photo now and I would not change a thing. Of course, we would always have remembered the day regardless of what happened – but the pictures and the weather and everything about it just means no-one will ever forget this day. It was perfect.‘
The day began as usual, with the bridal party getting ready at Katy’s house, taking hours over their hair, make-up and outfits.
The weather even looked as though it might hold up, despite forecasters warning that the storm from across the Atlantic was heading towards Britain.
But, as the couple started walking down the aisle, the heavens opened. Soon, the rain was so loud on the glass roof that guests could not hear the pair saying their vows.
But that was the least of their concerns – as they realised moments later that the rain had caused a crack in the roof.
Richard, a primary school teacher, said: ‚We were just stood laughing about the rain and then we saw the roof was leaking. Soon, our guests were drenched. We could not believe it.‘
For some couples, it would have been enough to ruin the entire day. But, helped by the staff, Katy and Richard took it all in their stride.
Speaking from Oman, where the couple are now on holiday, Richard told MailOnline: ‚We had got the weather and of course, we could not really change it. We knew it wasn’t going anywhere – so we just got on with it. It was the only thing we could have done.
‚It actually made the day everything it should have been and more. A lot of people have said our wedding takes you back to what weddings are all about.
‚It’s not about the perfect venue and the perfect flowers, or even the perfect weather. It’s about Katy and I getting married – and that’s what we did.‘
As the rain continued, the photographer, Jon Dennis, began to realise he was part of something special.
Katy said: ‚He was running around as the rain was falling, getting so excited about how it looked. He kept saying: „I think this will go viral“. It has definitely surprised me how much people seem to like the photos – I had no idea how good they would be.‘
Katy admits there was a part of her that was anxious when the weather took a turn for the worse.
She said: ‚I had a moment where I just thought everything would go wrong. Just as we finished the ceremony, the roof was seriously leaking and all the seats were getting ruined. The guests were getting wet.
‚I was thinking „oh no, what are we going to do?“ But I can’t believe it – they managed to fix the roof of the conservatory and we just moved everything there. I was so pleased we had got it sorted, I just forgot about the rain.‘
As soon as the roof was fixed, the staff – who were soaked to the bone – began moving the chairs, table and place mats from the flooded tipi, through the torrential rain and into the safety of the conservatory.
They even had to shift the wedding cake and the entire bar form one room to the next.
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Katy said: ‚The staff were just amazing. I think I said thank you about 40,000 times. They couldn’t have done more.‘
After more than an hour of rearranging the venue, Katy’s father went up for the first pint of beer at the newly-created bar, which was met with a loud cheer from the guests.
Richard said: ‚We were faced with it and had to react on the spot. But the caterers, the venue and everyone just leapt into action.
‚There were no wellies available so it was a case of rolling up trouser legs, ladies picking up the bottom of the dresses, shoes being flung here there and everywhere.
‚Everyone was lifting tables, carrying them into the conservatory. Even the cake came through on a wobbly table.‘
The caterers got to work, preparing the couple’s three-course meal in front of guests. But there were further complications when the electricity went out, cutting off the DJ – which provided nother chance for the photographer to take some incredible photos.
Richard said: ‚The photographer could clearly see that something special was developing. At the end, he said: „Come on let’s get some photos. Shoes off, socks off“.
‚So we went outside and just embraced it. We went out into the rain, and we were just paddling around having a great time. It’s not exactly what we expected on our wedding day. Soon the bridesmaids had joined in too.
‚I think the guests were concerned for us to start with, but when they saw we had embraced it, they did the same.‘
For Mr Dennis, who has taken photos at more than 250 weddings, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
He said: ‚I’ve never seen anything like it and I doubt I will do again. How well it went is testament not just to the staff, but also to Katy and Richard. They took it in their stride. It showed Yorkshire people at their very best.
‚They just had to go with it and they did. It was all kind of crazy.‘
The couple are now enjoying their honeymoon in Oman and are still buzzing from their special day.
But they intend on trying to save Katy’s wedding dress when they return, so they can take some photos in sunnier climes.
Richard said: ‚The dress is a bit shabby at the bottom, but I think we will have a go cleaning it up so we can have another set done. By, even if it’s the brightest sunshine, I don’t think any photos can out-do the ones we have now.
First Video, who recorded the couple on the day, said: ‚We were really privileged to have met these two and been a part of their day.
‚They gave a great reminder to everyone, that it really doesn’t matter if things don’t go quite to plan on the day, and that its impossible to be in control of everything.
‚It isn’t the details that make a great wedding, it’s great people, and Katy and Ricahrd’s wedding was full of them.‘
Stormy conditions continued today in northern England and Scotland as the effects of ex-Hurricane Bertha carried on moving across the country.
Most of Britain was left drenched on Sunday as the storm, which started in the Caribbean, swept in from the Atlantic.
Today, five flood warnings and 33 flood alerts were put in place by the Environment Agency as more heavy rain was expected.
Hurricane Bertha formed in the Caribbean last week, causing widespread damage and flooding amid winds of up to 90mph.
By early this morning, Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland had recorded 99mm of rain in 12 hours – more than the town usually gets in one month. Its average for August is usually 80mm.
Several parts of south Wales, north east England and the south east also recorded more than 20mm of rain in just one hour during the storm.
Today, a flypast in Kent involving First World War-era planes and modern-day fast jets has had to be postponed because of the bad weather.
A Met Office spokesman said a return to the sunshine and heat of earlier this summer does not look likely any time soon.
Forecasters predict more rain this week, with an ‚unsettled‘ pictured emerging in most parts of the country.
A spokesman for the Met Office said there would be sunny spells mixed with heavy showers until Thursday. As the low pressure system that formed from the remnants of Bertha sits in the North Sea, the Met Office also said it would also be ‚unseasonably breezy‘ over the next few days.
The high winds will also bring a dip in temperature, expected to be at least one or two degrees below the 19C average for August.
Emma Corrigan said: ‚Towards the end of the week we will see calmer, more settled conditions but temperatures will on average stay on the cooler side.
‚There is no real indication of a return to the hot conditions we’ve seen.‘
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