Couple gets married hours after tropical storm Ophelia makes landfall

By Carrie Hodgin

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    EMERALD ISLE, North Carolina (WXII) — When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

But when life throws a tropical storm your way, just hours before your wedding, you get ready to say, “I do.”

That’s exactly what one North Carolina couple did as tropical storm Ophelia made landfall near Emerald Isle around 6 a.m. Saturday.

It was an unforgettable wedding day, as Ophelia’s tropical winds and rain bands pushed through the area, just hours earlier resulting in power outages.

“There’s only so much you can do when you wake up to a power outage on your wedding day,” the bride, Ashley Trexler said.

The tropical storm was quick to form as the couple arrived days before in Emerald Isle to prepare for the wedding.

“One of the groomsmen sent me a text and I thought it was a joke at first,” the groom, Mark Smith, said.

While looking for a wedding event venue, Smith joked with his bride-to-be about the possibility of a big weather event.

“It would be cool to have a wedding during a hurricane,” he said jokingly. “When I found out, I was like, ‘What in the world?'”

It wasn’t a hurricane but instead a tropical storm.

All they could do was just hope for the best while getting ready to tie the knot.

Even the night of the rehearsal dinner, the day before, was just as eventful for the soon-to-be bride and groom as the tropical storm started to move into the area.

They greeted guests with smiles on their faces and love in their hearts, despite the looming conditions, not knowing what would await them the next morning, on their wedding day. The dinner was held at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores and they had to arrange for possible contingency plans for both events as Ophelia roared on for hours.

“We’re just going to get through it the best way that we can,” Trexler said.

As Ophelia pushed through on the big day, the bride and groom got ready for photos and all the traditional things that weddings bring.

“It changes the ambiance. It’s weird how it just popped up and on our wedding day, but it still worked out and the power miraculously came on,” Smith said.

Just four hours after Ophelia hit, the bride wore white, and made her way down the aisle to Smith, at Merrell Estate and Gardens. After exchanging their vows, they will now weather life’s many storms together after saying, “I do.”

“That’s for sure,” the bride said while laughing.

One thing is for sure, they will have a very memorable wedding story to share with family and friends for the rest of their lives.

“It just makes this day even more memorable,” Smith said. “We can’t wait to spend forever together with each other,” the new Mrs. Smith said.

No, amount of wind or rain, could stand in between this special day.

Here’s to wishing them the very best life has to offer and a happy fulfilled marriage for years to come and a memory to last a lifetime.

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