Alex Schilke and Sarah Hipke had been planning their Lake Geneva wedding for more than a year. The couple’s meticulously planned day, however, faced an unexpected turn courtesy of Mother Nature. “Most of the day was a lot of waiting to see if it was going to rain or not,” Alex said. “We had plans to do an outdoor ceremony and we were waiting all day to see whether or not we were going to have to move it inside.”

Fortunately, the Milwaukee couple enjoyed their outdoor ceremony during an hour-long window without rain. But as they moved inside for the reception, their photographer warned of incoming severe storms. “We really wanted to do sunset photos,” Alex said.

Sarah Hipke and Alex Schilke prepare to have their first dance after a tornado warning sent them to the basement of the hotel they were celebrating at. Photo by Derrick Parsons

“Our photographer came and grabbed us right when they passed out our dinner and was like, ‘Hey, I know you guys are about to eat, but it looks like there’s going to be some pretty severe storms coming in soon here. So we might want to go do them now.'”

They managed to get their photos just before the rain started. Inside, their DJ approached with urgent news: a tornado watch had been issued. “For safety and legal reasons, I have to make an announcement that if anybody would like to seek shelter, the basement’s open to them,” the DJ told the couple.

@jkjones5 A tornado in Lake Geneva brought a wedding party into the basement of the hotel where our family reunion was happening! They hadn’t had their first dance yet and I happened to have my guitar. The power was out so everyone put up their flashlights and we tried to give the bride and groom a special moment. I’m extremely grateful I was able to sub in to sing and congratulations to the happy couple! @Schilkus @Sarah Hipke #foryou #foryoupage #perfect #wedding #tiktok #tornado #edsheeran #musician #viral #blackout #lakegeneva #dancinginthedark #flashlight ♬ original sound – Jack Jones

“In classic Midwest fashion, half of our wedding got up and immediately went outside to go see if they could see the storm,” Alex said, smiling. As guests returned inside, their phones buzzed with tornado warnings, prompting everyone to seek shelter.

“We all frantically started running downstairs,” Alex said. “A lot of people came up to us and were like, ‘Well, we’ll do what you do.’ So we’re like, ‘Well, we should probably make sure that everybody goes downstairs, just to look out for people’s safety.'”

Sarah Hipke and Alex Schilke have their first dance after a tornado warning sent them to the basement of the hotel they were celebrating at. Photo by Derrick Parsons

Despite the chaos, Sarah and Alex mingled with their guests to ensure everyone remained in good spirits. One wedding party member braved the storm to fetch a Bluetooth speaker and drinks, keeping the party alive. Then, the lights went out.

A bunch of kids that I coach came up to me in tears,” Sarah recalled. “I was like, ‘Hey, there’s a dog down here. Go hang out with the dog.'”

Amid the confusion, Sarah looked for Alex to share their first dance. Meanwhile, Jack Jones, attending a family reunion in the same venue, heard about the couple’s plight and offered to play a song for their dance.

“We grabbed as many people as we could,” Alex said. “The place was totally dark, just emergency lights pretty much. And we get into the room and everybody turns on their flashlights, and it’s like this illumination of the whole ballroom that we were in. It was magical.”

Jack played Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect” as guests lit the room with cell phones, creating a heartwarming and unforgettable moment. “We started dancing and it was surreal at first,” Sarah said. “The whole room joined in on singing it and I could just feel the love. My faith in humanity was restored.”

“Everyone could feel in the room just how special it was,” Jack said. “It brought a lot of hope to people of what humans can do when you come together.”  Reflecting on their day, Sarah said, “We really felt that we only get one shot at this. We might as well have fun with it.”

This wasn’t the first time the couple had their special moment hijacked by a storm. When Alex proposed, the couple was under another tornado watch. But like then, the couple made the most of their moment, and let love guide them through. Watch below for a look at this heartwarming reminder that sometimes it’s best when things don’t go as planned.

Sources: People | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel