September snowstorm crashed couple's big day -- but made for epic wedding photos
By
Monica Danielle, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 1, 2019 7:55 PM EDT
Wedding photographer Jaime Fletcher was caught off guard by the early snowfall in Spokane, Washington, but made the most of it with the little time she had out in the cold. The result was some beautiful wedding photos in a winter wonderland.
Sean and Brittany Tuohy meticulously planned their wedding for nearly a year. They booked a mountaintop venue in Spokane, Washington, for Saturday, Sept. 28, hoping for a perfect fall day when a stunning array of fall leaves would provide a picturesque backdrop to photos showcasing their love.
Instead they ended up posing in freezing temperatures as wind blew snow all around them. It has never snowed in Spokane on Sept. 28, according to the National Weather Service. Not only that but “the high temperature of 45 degrees F on Sept. 23 was the lowest for the date. The old record was 48 degrees set in 1881.”
As the wedding approached, wedding photographer Jaime Denise Fletcher watched the changing forecast with horror. She told AccuWeather, “Originally I had hoped to take them to the top of the mountain and have the entire views of forest and fall behind them, but quickly we realized that was not going to happen!”
While Fletcher was aware the forecast called for bad weather, she didn’t know it would turn out to be a record-breaking September snowstorm.
“When I got to the start of the mountain road, the change in temperature and weather happened almost instantly, and I dreaded seeing the bride and groom assuming the worst and that they’d be incredibly upset,” she recalled.
Fletcher said accurate weather forecasts are crucial in planning photoshoots. “They are dire! I shoot all-natural light and prefer being outdoors than in a studio if I can help it,” she said. “This one was actually pretty close to accurate and I was able to take winter clothing with me just in case and I absolutely ended up needing it."
She also brought "cute, clear umbrellas" which helped … a little. In the end, the snowflakes and winter-white landscape made for beautiful, snowglobelike wedding photos that immediately went viral and will make for an amazing story for their grandchildren. Fletcher can’t believe the response, telling CNN it was, ironically, her quickest photoshoot ever.
"It was the fastest I've
ever taken them," she said. "It transitioned so fast into a blizzard."
Typically, Fletcher will shoot 300 photos in just under an hour. This time she snapped about 100 photos in 10 minutes before the wedding party moved inside to celebrate.
Luckily,
Sean and Brittany took the snowstorm in stride and remained in good spirits
despite the bad weather.
“They laughed continuously. Brittany was bummed that everything had to be moved indoors, but they handled the situation with such grace and are truly amazing people.”
Fletcher advises others dealing with inclement weather on their wedding day to go with the flow. "Take everything with a grain of salt. You cannot control everything, but what you can control is remembering why you’re having a wedding in the first place. Celebrate your love. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” she said.
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News / Weather News
September snowstorm crashed couple's big day -- but made for epic wedding photos
By Monica Danielle, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 1, 2019 7:55 PM EDT
Wedding photographer Jaime Fletcher was caught off guard by the early snowfall in Spokane, Washington, but made the most of it with the little time she had out in the cold. The result was some beautiful wedding photos in a winter wonderland.
Sean and Brittany Tuohy meticulously planned their wedding for nearly a year. They booked a mountaintop venue in Spokane, Washington, for Saturday, Sept. 28, hoping for a perfect fall day when a stunning array of fall leaves would provide a picturesque backdrop to photos showcasing their love.
Instead they ended up posing in freezing temperatures as wind blew snow all around them. It has never snowed in Spokane on Sept. 28, according to the National Weather Service. Not only that but “the high temperature of 45 degrees F on Sept. 23 was the lowest for the date. The old record was 48 degrees set in 1881.”
As the wedding approached, wedding photographer Jaime Denise Fletcher watched the changing forecast with horror. She told AccuWeather, “Originally I had hoped to take them to the top of the mountain and have the entire views of forest and fall behind them, but quickly we realized that was not going to happen!”
While Fletcher was aware the forecast called for bad weather, she didn’t know it would turn out to be a record-breaking September snowstorm.
“When I got to the start of the mountain road, the change in temperature and weather happened almost instantly, and I dreaded seeing the bride and groom assuming the worst and that they’d be incredibly upset,” she recalled.
Fletcher said accurate weather forecasts are crucial in planning photoshoots. “They are dire! I shoot all-natural light and prefer being outdoors than in a studio if I can help it,” she said. “This one was actually pretty close to accurate and I was able to take winter clothing with me just in case and I absolutely ended up needing it."
She also brought "cute, clear umbrellas" which helped … a little. In the end, the snowflakes and winter-white landscape made for beautiful, snowglobelike wedding photos that immediately went viral and will make for an amazing story for their grandchildren. Fletcher can’t believe the response, telling CNN it was, ironically, her quickest photoshoot ever.
"It was the fastest I've ever taken them," she said. "It transitioned so fast into a blizzard."
Typically, Fletcher will shoot 300 photos in just under an hour. This time she snapped about 100 photos in 10 minutes before the wedding party moved inside to celebrate.
Luckily, Sean and Brittany took the snowstorm in stride and remained in good spirits despite the bad weather.
“They laughed continuously. Brittany was bummed that everything had to be moved indoors, but they handled the situation with such grace and are truly amazing people.”
Fletcher advises others dealing with inclement weather on their wedding day to go with the flow. "Take everything with a grain of salt. You cannot control everything, but what you can control is remembering why you’re having a wedding in the first place. Celebrate your love. Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to,” she said.
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