During a tornado, the bride and groom had to hold their first dance in the basement: “It was chaos”
One couple’s wedding night went a little different than expected due to a strong tornado in the area.
Sarah and Alex Schilke had just gotten married in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in June 2024 when they noticed that the clouds in the sky looked threatening.
The 26-year-olds told Fox News Digital that they became husband and wife in an outdoor ceremony and were able to take family photos outside before it started to rain.
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Sarah Schilke recalled that her husband had just given his acceptance speech to the guests and the DJ was entertaining others when a tornado warning was issued for the area.
“The DJ approached us … and told us that he was required by law to announce a tornado warning and give guests the opportunity to seek shelter in the basement,” she recalls.
Sarah and Alex Schilke, pictured here, enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife in the basement of their wedding venue – due to a tornado warning. (Sarah Schilke)
After waiting a minute to consider what to do next, Sarah Schilke said an emergency alert began ringing on guests’ phones saying a tornado had touched down – and the tornado warning was no warning.
Staff at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, where the ceremony and reception took place, asked everyone to seek shelter in the basement.
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“At first, the mood in the basement was exuberant and we walked all over the basement mingling and chatting with our guests,” Sarah Schilke told Fox News Digital.
She continued: “Then the power went out and there was chaos.”
The couple said they were initially worried about their guests but quickly made the best of it. (Sarah Schilke)
Although Sarah Schilke said she and her husband continued to mingle with the guests, a member of the wedding party brought a speaker from the ground floor to play music in the meantime.
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“Then we were approached by some strangers who were attending a family reunion in the basement ballrooms and they asked if we had had our first dance yet,” said Sarah Schilke.
“We didn’t have that, so they asked us if their musically gifted guest Jack Jones would sing and play guitar so we could have our first dance.”
“Don’t worry about little things, but don’t worry about big things either.”
Afterwards, Sarah Schilke and her husband danced to “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, thanks to the guitar of a talented stranger and the phone lights of many guests.
“There were so many lights that we could barely see the room full of people around us, and they almost looked like stars. It really felt like we were alone,” she said.
The couple said a guest attending a family gathering at a nearby ballroom sang for them in the basement. (Sarah Schilke)
The software engineer told Fox News Digital that she was overwhelmed with emotions in that moment – and was grateful to be surrounded by nice people.
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She said: “I felt the love and care of everyone in that room trying to make our unusual day a memorable one.”
The bride said there wasn’t a dry eye in the room and guests and strangers alike were “overwhelmed with emotion.”
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Shortly after the first dance, the curfews were lifted and the couple’s wedding celebration was allowed to take place as planned.
The problem, however, was that the power had not been restored to the resort, so the wedding guests experienced a very different wedding reception than they expected.
A couple had to seek shelter during their wedding celebration due to a tornado warning in the Lake Geneva area of Wisconsin. (Sarah Schilke; iStock)
Thanks to 35 battery-operated lights from the DJ and a Bluetooth speaker, the couple created an unforgettable wedding.
“As long as you have your support system, be it your spouse, family, friends or all three, nothing else really matters,” the bride said.
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She added: “On your wedding day, or any day for that matter, don’t worry about the little things, but don’t worry about the big things either. You might end up with an incredible memory that you never thought possible.”
