Wedding ceremony halted by wild weather weekend

These are not the scenes Luke and Shaun were hoping for as their ceremony approached its crescendo.

Screaming guests were forced to flee a wedding as Saturday’s wild storm smashed into a large tent in the minutes leading up to couple saying ‘I do’.

Luke and Shaun, 34, had meticulously planned their wedding, enlisting event organisers Tipi Lanes to set up the ceremony held at the Tiny House on the Prairie Cudlee Creek, South Australia.

The couple were optimistic the day would go according to plan, despite the heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast.

“We were hoping it would have been the morning, and by the time we got there everything would have cleared” Shaun said.

“The morning of the wedding, it was raining fairly heavily, but it was pretty still and there was no wind or anything like that” he said.

As the grey clouds hung in the sky and the heavy rainfall set in, Luke and Shaun began to worry the weather conditions may ruin their big day.

“Because of all the time and effort to set up the beautiful venue, we made a decision in the morning to the ceremony at the venue, then move the reception to a hall which was down the road” Shaun said.

“We were outside taking some photos and didn’t get the sense that there was a cyclone coming It was grey and the rain was on and off, but it wasn’t too bad” Shaun said.

Jake and Shaun, 34 at the wedding ceremony in Cudlee Creek, South Australia. Picture: Supplied

But with the heavy rainfall slowly getting worse, no one anticipated how quickly the weather would escalate.

“We walked down the aisle under umbrellas with our wedding party in the pouring rain, and started the ceremony.”

“Then within the 15 to 10 minute window that we got married, that’s when the wild started going wild and the arm of the tipi dropped down.

As the usher continued conducting the wedding and Shaun was about to say his vows, the guests started becoming frantic once they saw the storm intensifying and the tipi uncontrollably shaking.

Stunning pictures: Storm carves path of destruction through Adelaide

VIEW GALLERY

“We heard people starting to scream, especially our nieces and nephews that were quite young, so we wanted to get them out of there” they said.

Before the tipi completely collapsed, the couple and all the wedding guests had to evacuate and find shelter in the undercover areas.

“The owners of the venue were doing their best to try and save it, but as I grabbed one of them all the water dumped out from the top of the tipi and drenched me” Shaun said.

The fast-thinking wedding organisers reconvened the ceremony at the Soldiers Memorial Hall in Cudlee Creek, five minutes away.

“By the time we got over there, our family and friends and the people from Tiny House on the Prairie, turned the hall into this stunningly magical place and it was just beautiful” Shaun said

“We got married soaking wet and it was quite amazing. Everyone who had came to the wedding had no time to have a shower so everyone just really rolled with it.”

When the ceremony concluded, Luke and Shaun were grateful for the venue owners, Dion and Kye at Tiny House on The Praire handled the weather ordeal.

“They are incredible people because until you’ve seen the people hosting your wedding, almost get blown off the ground holding a gazebo” Shaun said.

“You don’t know how above and beyond people will go for you” he said.

With the weather eventually calming down and clearing up, the guests were able to continue the celebrating the union at the reception.

“There was no more winds for the rest of the night, just that 15 minutes it came and abit of rain. ”

“It definitely made our day super memorable. And we’re just so happy that we were able to get married and celebrate with all our family and friends.”

*Luke and Shaun requested their surnames to not be used in the article.