SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — An Arizona couple traveled to Washington state for their fall-themed wedding, but were met with a surprise winter wonderland on Saturday instead — and made the best of it. Brittany and Sean Tuohy planned their outdoor wedding at a lodge on Washington's Mt. Spokane, hoping for photos full of lush foliage and crisp, autumn air.
The pair grew up in the area, but live in Arizona and traveled all the way back home for the nuptials.
"My original plan was to take them all to the top of the mountain, where there would've been a million fall colors and trees above the city and do their portraits there," the couple's photographer, Jaime Denise Fletcher of Jaime Denise Photography told CBS News.
She soon realized that wasn't exactly in the cards. "The snowfall when I got to the mountain was night and day from what it was in town. It was insane how fast the change was from the start of the road to the lodge," she said. "I felt like I was in a snow globe, but not in a good way."
She was initially worried the couple would be upset with the unprecedented storm. However, when she arrived she said the wedding party was in good spirits, joking and laughing about their bad luck.
That good attitude — and quick thinking by Fletcher— made for some pretty incredible images. To capture the photos, Fletcher grabbed a scarf, put it over her head and camera lens and got to work.
"We all ran outside and just giggled and took photos as fast as we could," she said. "The winds were at least 30 mph, and the blizzard was so intense so we only got about 10 minutes worth of photos, but it was worth it!"
While Fletcher, a self-described "perfectionist," said she was hoping she would have had more time to click away, she's still happy with the final product. She wasn't able to go to the top of the mountain as she planned, but was able to capture stunning images of the couple and their wedding party with a background of falling snow.
"I hope it doesn't happen again for that long for future brides' sakes!" she said. "But if future brides are anything like this one... they will take the day with grace, make the best of it and truly have the best time... because that is what Brittany did. She was amazing and I am so in awe of how easygoing she was and how much fun she had on her wild winter wedding day!"