Here's What Happens When A Blizzard Strikes On Your Wedding Day
Jonas was the ultimate wedding crasher.
While most New Yorkers experienced Snowzilla from the comfort of their studio apartments, I spent it hoping that my sister's wedding wouldn't get canceled.
My sister Sarah, seen here, is one of the most organized, detail-oriented people I know — but the one thing out of her control, the weather, ended up making her wedding more memorable than she could have ever planned for.
When she and her husband Tom picked their wedding date almost a year ago, they were aware that New York weather in January could mean anything — from the bizarre, 50-degree days like we had all December to obliterating blizzards. My guess is that they hoped for the former. Still, both of their birthdays are at the end of January, and Brooklyn Winery, their dream venue, was available, so they jumped on a Jan. 23 wedding date.
Sean Gallery / Via seangallery.com
One week before their wedding date, they were splitting hairs over the seating chart. And then, three days before the big day, the weather report started looking something like this.
Nearly all of my parents' friends, who live in the Washington, DC metro area (where my parents live, as well) called that day and backed out. As the guest list began to dwindle, there was a sense of panic, which soon gave way to an even more unsettling feeling of helplessness.
What happened over the next three mostly-helpless days whittled away any "traditional" wedding worries and reminded everyone what actually matters when two people get married. Here's what I learned along the way:
WEATHERBELL ANALYTICS/NWS WPC
Mother Nature is an unforgiving, relentless jerk.
The weather doesn't care about my sister or my mother, two of the most organized people alive. It doesn't care if you booked a shuttle to take guests to the venue, or if you planned on taking cute pictures of the bridesmaids getting ready in their robes.
Nope, the weather is what leads the MTA to shut down all above-ground transportation at 2:30 pm, just three hours before guests were supposed to arrive at the venue. The weather hurls snow at you at 40 miles per hour and makes stepping outside seem like a death wish. The weather is oblivious to guests who traveled thousands of miles to celebrate with you.
We found out about the above-ground transportation shutdown at noon, smack dab in the middle of the bridal party's hair and makeup appointments in Chelsea. The hotel shuttles canceled on us, and the race to get the last Ubers out of Manhattan began.
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed Life
Your type-A side doesn't stand a chance.
Somehow, the whole bridal party and immediate family made it to the venue before 2:30. We'd planned on taking a leisurely car ride from Manhattan to Brooklyn in our full outfits, stopping for photo ops along the way. Sarah had the timing worked out perfectly; she'd gone over the details with me no less than three times to ensure that everything was well-paced and convenient.
Instead, half of the bridesmaids took the subway to Williamsburg, with their makeup done, hair pinned up to avoid getting it wet, and in sweatpants and snow boots instead of dresses and heels. Sarah didn't get the professional, cute pictures of everyone getting pampered that she hoped for, nor did she get to use her meticulously-coordinated itinerary. But! She got everyone to Brooklyn safely and calmly, and the photos we did get (like the one above) are pretty good too.
Sure, her planning eventually went down the tubes, but her organization skills (in addition to having a ninja wedding coordinator) were the backbone that kept everything together when it could have all fallen apart. Don't throw away those lists, people! You won't regret making them.
Carrie Down