A bride and groom say they missed their wedding reception because they got stuck in an elevator.
Newlyweds Victoria and Panav Jha reflected on their big day during a recent interview with WBTV, a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina. While at the Grand Bohemian Hotel earlier this month, the couple completed their wedding ceremony and headed to the 16th floor for the reception. Their plans came to a screeching halt when the hotel’s elevator got stuck.
“We’d go up maybe five feet and then we’d just stop,” Panav recalled. “The door was a bit ajar, so I thought, ‘Hmm, that’s not normal’.”
Along with the bride and groom, four other people who were part of the wedding party were also in the elevator. To get the group out of the room, the Charlotte Fire Department was contacted, but firefighter David Budd told the outlet that it was a bit difficult to get the wedding party out of the elevator.
“We went through all the normal troubleshooting that you do on an elevator call, and none of it worked, so that’s when we realized we wanted to elevate it to what ended up being, what was a rope rescue,” he said .
Another firefighter at the hotel, Michael Claycomb, also described how they helped each of the six people out.
“We put them in what’s called a quick seat, it’s just a simple seat that hooks around them and we hook them up to our rope rigging system,” he said. “They get raised from there and at least it’s a simple process for them, for us it’s a little complex.”
Panav said the group was “in there for close to two and a half hours,” before adding, “I’d say the rest is an experience.”
As a result of the elevator getting stuck between the lobby and the first floor, the newlyweds ended up missing their after-wedding party. They also didn’t get to say goodbye to all their guests, some of whom traveled from out of town for the wedding.
“We weren’t able to celebrate or say the last kisses or goodbye. And that’s what put the damper on everything,” Victoria sharedQueen City News. “This is how the wedding night should end.”
Despite the downsides of the experience, Victoria shared that there were also some good things about the event.
“It’s kind of like a blessing in disguise. I’d like to say I can’t imagine if this was me alone or him alone, at least we got to spend it together so that’s what mattered, ” she told WBTV.
Echoing his wife’s sentiments about the situation, Panav added, “It’s going to be one we remember forever. I’m going to tell my kids that your mom was so beautiful that the fire department had to come.”
After the wedding party’s rescue, the Charlotte Fire Department shared a photo of its firefighters with the newlyweds on their social media accounts. The department celebrated the nuptials in the caption, writing: “Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Jha on your wedding day. Although the Charlotte Fire weren’t formally invited, we weren’t exactly wedding crashers either.”
The post went on to reflect on the rescue: “After the first person was rescued, she said, ‘Please get my sister out next time, it’s her in the wedding dress.’ All [six people] which was pulled to safety was part of the Jha wedding party. Fortunately, no one required medical attention.”