'Marriage is about weathering any storm': Wisconsin couple weds in tornado warning (2024)

They say rain on a wedding day is good luck. But a tornado warning crashed one Wisconsin couple's big day. Alex and Sarah Schilke danced their first dance as newlyweds under cellphone light in the basem*nt of Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva Saturday night. "We had a different song picked out for our first dance. We had actually done dance lessons for weeks, and all that, and it didn't work out," Sarah said. Fate had another plan for the Eau Claire couple's big day. The rain held off long enough for their outdoor ceremony, but just as the reception kicked off, everyone's phones buzzed with a tornado warning alert. "Tornado warning, formally. Now, we need to seek shelter. So, like, staff are running around there trying to corral, you know, our like almost 190 people that were here downstairs into this basem*nt," Alex said. The wedding guests and everyone else at the resort hurried downstairs. "Then the lights go out, and chaos ensues. Everybody's really scared now," Sarah said. Surrounded by strangers, Alex and Sarah continued their wedding reception, sheltering from the storms. "Strangers come up to me various times saying, Hey, we have this guy that was supposed to be on 'The Voice.' He was supposed to open for Dave Matthews tonight. He said he would play a song for you guys. Have you had your first dance?" Sarah said. Shortly after, an impromptu first dance the pair will never forget. "I don't cry in front of people, but I couldn't help myself," Sarah said. Jack Jones sang "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran as Alex and Sarah danced and loved ones sang along. "Marriage is about weathering any sort of storm. You know, it's about rolling with the punches and doing it together and as a team and every step of the way throughout that day, through just waiting for the weather and wondering whether or not we were going to get our outdoor ceremony to that actual first dance and every part of it after, Sarah was my rock the whole time," Alex said. The Schilkes said it wasn't the couple's first close encounter with stormy weather. There was also an active tornado watch when Alex proposed to Sarah back in 2022. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Walworth County Saturday night. There are no reports of any injuries.

LAKE GENEVA, Wis. —

They say rain on a wedding day is good luck. But a tornado warning crashed one Wisconsin couple's big day.

Alex and Sarah Schilke danced their first dance as newlyweds under cellphone light in the basem*nt of Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva Saturday night.

"We had a different song picked out for our first dance. We had actually done dance lessons for weeks, and all that, and it didn't work out," Sarah said.

Fate had another plan for the Eau Claire couple's big day. The rain held off long enough for their outdoor ceremony, but just as the reception kicked off, everyone's phones buzzed with a tornado warning alert.

"Tornado warning, formally. Now, we need to seek shelter. So, like, staff are running around there trying to corral, you know, our like almost 190 people that were here downstairs into this basem*nt," Alex said.

The wedding guests and everyone else at the resort hurried downstairs.

"Then the lights go out, and chaos ensues. Everybody's really scared now," Sarah said.

Surrounded by strangers, Alex and Sarah continued their wedding reception, sheltering from the storms.

"Strangers come up to me various times saying, Hey, we have this guy that was supposed to be on 'The Voice.' He was supposed to open for Dave Matthews tonight. He said he would play a song for you guys. Have you had your first dance?" Sarah said.

Shortly after, an impromptu first dance the pair will never forget.

"I don't cry in front of people, but I couldn't help myself," Sarah said.

Jack Jones sang "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran as Alex and Sarah danced and loved ones sang along.

"Marriage is about weathering any sort of storm. You know, it's about rolling with the punches and doing it together and as a team and every step of the way throughout that day, through just waiting for the weather and wondering whether or not we were going to get our outdoor ceremony to that actual first dance and every part of it after, Sarah was my rock the whole time," Alex said.

The Schilkes said it wasn't the couple's first close encounter with stormy weather. There was also an active tornado watch when Alex proposed to Sarah back in 2022.

The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down in Walworth County Saturday night. There are no reports of any injuries.

'Marriage is about weathering any storm': Wisconsin couple weds in tornado warning (2024)
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