The bride and groom and their guests were soaked to the skin and forced to flee from a monstrous wave that crashed into an outdoor wedding reception in Hawaii.
Mother Nature showed up unexpectedly on Saturday, but the wedding at Kailua-Hulihee Kona’s Palace went on as planned.
The bride, Riley Carson Murphy, handled everything well and documented the special day on her Instagram.
In addition, she said that her wedding cake “lucky made it” despite prior claims to the contrary, according to KHON2 News
She reported that the strong wave “washed away half of our reception.” The folks we love were present for a “memorable night” with my husband Dillon Murphy.
Part of what she said was, “Life isn’t always predictable and I can’t wait to ride every high and every down with my new spouse.”
The wet wedding drama was probably caused by Hurricane Darby, which was churning 870 miles to the south of the islands and delivered strong winds and large waves to the island in the centre of the Pacific.
As of Monday, the social media video had received more than 300,000 views and showed some partygoers scurrying for cover while carrying cocktails.
Others observed as they recorded the vicious wave that unexpectedly arrived on tape. Kenneth Bergstrom was among the visitors who recorded it all on video.
At the beachfront hotel on Hawaii’s Big Island, Bergstrom filmed the moment the enormous wave broke the surface and crashed on the sea wall.
When the enormous wave hit, guests were socialising and savouring the appetisers and drinks.
One person is overheard stating, “This is coming for sure,” just before it hits.
A few seconds later, the tables with their lovely floral centrepieces were completely engulfed by the enormous wave.
Following it, visitors can be seen hopping from one puddle to another. On the footage, several people can be seen laughing while others are repeating, “OMG!” in shock.
Even one visitor said, “It’s not even high tide.”
No injuries were recorded, but the strong wave is said to have sucked up the couple’s three-tiered wedding cake. It’s not certain if that’s what truly transpired.
In preparation for historically high waves, Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources restricted a number of south-facing beaches the day before the wedding.
According to Maui News, the agency stated that the South Swell was “anticipated to be the greatest witnessed in Hawaii over the last decade.”
It was predicted that the surf on the wedding day will increase by 10 to 14 feet on Saturday, then by another 12 to 16 feet, with 20-foot sets projected for Saturday night into Sunday.
In Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, a wave also slammed over a two-story condo, flooding nearby homes and a parking lot.
As the enormous wave hit, someone cried, “It’s flooding everywhere.”
According to the National Weather Service, much of the south-facing coasts of all Hawaiian Islands experienced “historic” surf conditions on Saturday.
The storm’s winds were as high as 100 mph.
Before it churned offshore, Storm Darby did strengthen to a Category 3 hurricane.
The peak wedding season, which runs from June 1 to November, coincides with the four or five cyclones that hit the Central Pacific each year.