A North Carolina first responder couple honored their love for each other with a commitment ceremony on Oct. 2 after Hurricane Helene robbed them of their initial wedding plans.
A first responder couple in North Carolina postponed their wedding plans to help assist with Hurricane Helene disaster recovery and let their love shine in a commitment ceremony amid the chaos.
“Today we were supposed to be in Glacier National Park getting married. While Hurricane Helene took that special day and trip from us, we will reschedule it and legally make it happen later”, Rhonda Chislaghi wrote in a post on Facebook.
“But today was our wedding day, and we were not going to spend it apart. We knew if we could do a vow and ring exchange today, we would and, thanks to some special folks, it happened”, Chislaghi continued, sharing photos of their special ceremony.
Chislaghi and now-husband Eric Barnwell were supposed to fly out of North Carolina on Sept. 29 for their wedding on Oct. 2, WLOS first reported. Their plans were upended when Hurricane Helene struck and devastated western North Carolina along with several other neighboring states.
Chislaghi is a volunteer first responder for the Henderson County Rescue Squad and her husband is a retired division chief for the Skyland Fire Department, according to WLOS. Both have served as first responders for 30 years.
She told WLOS that once Helene struck, they knew they needed to postpone their wedding and help at home.
