Hurricane Michael forces Florida couple to marry at airport
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Oct. 10, Lorri and Jim Beary said “I do” inside the air hub – which, they admit, was not initially their dream venue. (Jacksonville International Airport)
The wrath of Hurricane Michael couldn’t stop one Florida couple from marrying on an emotionally significant date, and the longtime pair happily tied the knot inside Jacksonville International Airport.
On Oct. 10, Lorri and Jim Beary said “I do” inside the air hub – which, they admit, was not initially their dream venue, WCTV reports.
Though the couple of eight years had planned to wed on Oct. 10, which the groom described as "the 10th day of the 10th year of the 10th month, that I had fallen in love with her,” Mother Nature had other plans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though the Tallahasseeans had intended to exchange vows at a Leon County courthouse, a plan six months in the making, the storm’s path of destruction closed the building and forced the Bearys to improvise. They were slated to jet to Italy for their honeymoon and wanted to make it there as husband and wife.
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"At the house, when he told me that the courthouse was closing, yes, I freaked and he calmed me down," Lorri recalled, News 4 Jax reports. “And he calmed me down and then started giving numbers to me of notaries in the area.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}After great searching, they connected with officiant Selecia Young-Jones, who agreed to marry the two at a place that practically never closes – the airport.
“I knew that they’d be flying out and I thought, ‘Well, it’s a great atrium and a beautiful place and a public place,” Young-Jones told the outlet.
“This is indeed the most unique [wedding] I’ve done so far,” she added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Making it official on the special day of Oct. 10, Lorri and Jim said their vows in the middle of JAX, in a brief ceremony witnessed by total strangers.
Finally Mr. and Mrs. Beary, the couple said that wouldn’t have had it any other way. The spontaneous situation reminded them why they got together in the first place – a love of adventure.
“This just fits,” Lorri told News 4. “Flee a hurricane, come get married in the atrium in Jacksonville at the airport.”
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“I’m ecstatic because I’m now married to the man I love so deeply and he’s my best friend,” the bride added.
After their 10-day Italian honeymoon, the newlyweds plan to host a reception with family and friends. They’re hopeful that Hurricane Michael will have spared their home, too.