Shelley and Chris Holland spent six months planning every detail of their Houston wedding. Days ahead of the scheduled date, September 2nd, Hurricane Harvey decimated the Houston area.
“My husband and I completely lost every plan we made,” the bride wrote in a now viral Facebook post, accompanied by a photo of her and the groom kissing in the flood.
Days before the wedding, the cake maker, caterer and reception location canceled. The chapel and the pastor’s house were completely flooded.
But the Dutch “wouldn’t take no for an answer,” said the groom’s childhood friend Jim Davis, who photographed the wedding with his wife Andi. The wedding would take place, rain or shine, venue or none.
With the help of their pastor, the Hollands booked a chapel for the 11th hour and got married on their scheduled date.
To commemorate the day – and the heartbreak before it – Davis suggested the newlyweds take a photo on a nearby flooded street. So the groom, wearing a suit and flip-flops, carried his bride into the water. Only the top of the wedding dress scanned the cloudy surface.
“Even in the most disastrous situation for Houston, they got everything they wanted,” said Davis.
The bride and groom are currently on their honeymoon in Hawaii.
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