A surprise early snowstorm in Washington state crashed a couple's wedding day, but they ended up making the most out of the wintry weather with stunning photos that have since gone viral.
Sean and Brittany Tuohy, who live in Arizona, spent a year planning their dream Sept. 28 wedding in the Spokane area. The couple grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but even they weren't expecting an out-of-season snowstorm.
“Nobody really anticipated it to turn into a full-blown blizzard," Jaime Fletcher, the couple's wedding photographer, told TODAY. Fletcher hadn't met the couple before their wedding day, but said she's friends with Brittany's maid of honor.
By the time the bride arrived at Bear Creek Lodge, near Mount Spokane, around 12 p.m. on Saturday, snow was already falling.
"I got up there and imagined they’d be in bad spirits and it was quite the opposite. They were laughing and giggling about how Brittany has the worst luck," Fletcher said.
Instead of letting the snow ruin their wedding day, Fletcher said the Tuohys and their friends decided to make the most out of the cards they had been dealt by Mother Nature.
"They said, 'Let's wing it and let's do it,'" she said. "So we all ran outside and snapped those photos in minutes. It was pure anxiety and the conditions were awful. I didn't know what to do!"
Thankfully, the results turned out to be gorgeous. The conditions created a romantic winter vibe that made the wedding party look like they were stuck inside of a snow globe.
Fletcher said the photos turned out just as she expected, but added that she was "nervous" to share them with the couple, since she knew their wedding day didn't exactly go according to plan.
"They didn’t anticipate snow on their wedding day, let alone snow flying in their faces at 30 miles per hour," she said. "I was thankful they loved them as much as I do."
The couple are now enjoying an Oktoberfest honeymoon in Munich, Germany, where there's no snow in the forecast, at least for this week. Sean Tuohy told TODAY in an email that the couple is surprised at all the attention their wedding photos are getting and is "extremely grateful."
"We never would have thought our spontaneous reaction to this snowstorm would get so much attention. Brittany pushed everyone to take pictures outside. Jaime did a fantastic job coordinating it inside. And then we all rushed out and just had fun," he said. "We wouldn’t have changed that day for anything."
They may have even gotten some people considering the option of having a winter wedding.
"Nobody ever wants snow on their wedding day, but they do now!" Fletcher said.
