When Kate Foringham promised her next husband that she would not be late for the wedding, she wasn’t sure how her wedding day would end.
Cliff bridge
Last Saturday, Kate woke up in a nightmare when it turns out that she cannot leave her parents’ home in the Australian state of New South Wales. The house, located in the town of Wingham, was cut off from the outside world by the floods that swept through Australia. Kate says to the Guardian.
She was to marry her fiancé, Wayne, at 3 PM that day. The only way to where the wedding took place was via a flooded bridge.
Gorgeous
“It took three months to plan the wedding,” Kate told the British newspaper. “Then the entire plan fell into the water within twelve hours, only to miraculously accomplish it in the next six hours.”
The Australian, who grew up in the countryside, had already accepted that it would rain on her wedding day. “But I didn’t know how to deal with this natural disaster.”
‘Today is the day to come’
“I collapsed for a moment, grumbling about the situation, and I started crying,” Kate admits. “But then I thought, let’s just make the most of it. Today is the day.”
The couple decided to do everything they could to move Kate from the parents’ home to the wedding site. Her fiancé suggested that she ask someone on a boat to take her to Wingham, but that proved risky due to the fast water flowing.
Helicopter flight
The only option left: a helicopter flight. After a call on social media, a local TV station responded. If allowed to photograph the wedding, they are willing to bear the helicopter rental costs:
And this is what happened. Less than an hour later, Kate picked up a helicopter that took her to Wingham. The three-mile journey took only a few minutes.
Caterer and make-up artist unable to attend
However, not all problems of the future spouses were solved at that time. Because the caterer and makeup artist were stuck elsewhere by the floods. The singer of the band who was scheduled to perform in a car accident has been banned.
The couple had been in contact with a caterer in Wingham who was supposed to be at another wedding, but had nowhere to go due to the floods. A local hairdresser was in the same boat and he decided to help Kate.
Late 15 minutes
Kate’s grandmother offered her home and soon there was a go and go of the women. In the end, Kate was 15 minutes late at the wedding venue. Most of the wedding guests were in attendance, as they had spent the previous night in Wingham.
‘You can’t get out crazier with it’
“Because no one can go either way, the party went on into the night,” says Kate. “When I tell the story, it feels like it didn’t really happen. How is this possible? You can’t make it up more crazy. I still can’t believe we did it.”
“My family is wonderful,” concludes newlywed Kate. “We don’t hold back when the going gets tough. We can handle the challenge, even apparently a massive flood.”
Constant rain
Over the past three days, Australia has been plagued by constant rain, causing rivers to overflow in New South Wales. Flooding has caused massive damage, and emergency services in the area have already had to carry out around 850 rescue operations.
The Australian authorities announced today that they will have to evacuate thousands of others as the storms will not subside. “Unfortunately, the weather conditions deteriorated last night and will only get worse in the coming days. Many communities will face increased downpours,” said New South Wales Prime Minister Gladys Prejiklian.
