Multiple Tornadoes Hit Texas, Disrupting Wedding and Forcing Everyone to Take Shelter (Exclusive)
One Texas couple's outdoor wedding was disrupted by a tornado warning when multiple twisters hit the area
Everyone was forced to take shelter, with the wedding DJ telling PEOPLE that some guests were "raveled about the situation"
Luckily, the tornadoes narrowly missed the wedding venue and the delayed ceremony was able to continue, albeit rainyOne wedding venue nearly resembled the set of Twister.
When Sara Schaffner and Nikolas Crowe got married on April 4 in Tyler, Texas, they "knew there was a chance for severe weather" but hoped for the best. However, their fears came to life that afternoon when they were taking pre-ceremony photos at a chapel.
The couple's wedding DJ Debbie Sallee, who is also known as Debbie The DJ, remembers tornado warnings on everyone's phones and the civil defense siren sounding off at around 3:30 p.m.
"I was nervous. From the patio, you could see the clouds rotating — made me a little sick to my stomach, if I'm being honest," Sallee remembers. "The town I live in was hit 10 years ago by a tornado and barely missed our home. I think in my head, 'Would I rather it be at night when I can't see anything or as I was there in the daytime? If I saw it coming, what would I do?' "
The National Weather Service reported at least six tornadoes were confirmed to have touched down that Friday in East Texas. One twister, with an estimated peak wind speed of 110 miles per hour, was on the ground for more than 20 miles.
"There were several tornadoes that hit in the area, one was about 20 miles away and the other touched down just about 10 miles past where we were," Sallee says.
Sallee recorded a video of the civil defense siren blaring at the wedding. In the video, the worried bride holds up her wedding dress as she walks barefoot on the wet ground outside alongside her bridesmaids. She asks, "Where are we supposed to go for a tornado warning?"
Schaffner, Crowe and their wedding party "were asked to come to the reception hall." They joined their approximate 100 wedding guests and "took shelter in the bathrooms and kitchen area where there were no windows."
"Some seemed a little raveled about the situation," Sallee tells PEOPLE. "Men, of course, had to stand on the patio to see if it was really happening. Most were listening to news and watching the alerts on their phones."
"The bride was surprisingly calm," she adds. "Which, honestly, I think, kept everyone else calm. Nobody wants the bride panicking."
The group stayed sheltered for about 20 minutes, with some men going in and out to watch the storm.
"Guests were calling and notifying family that was at the venue," Sallee says. "They were also being held in safe rooms in the hotels they were staying at, and I believe someone was at a local Walmart and they were keeping them inside."
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Luckily, the "severe part" of the storm passed. It was, however, still raining during the ceremony, which was delayed for about 45 minutes so that guests who were sheltering elsewhere could make it to the wedding.
"Wedding was still gorgeous and the reception was a blast," Sallee notes.
Read the original article on People
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