BEND, Oregon — A wildfire that disrupted an Oregon couple's wedding
also gave them the photograph of a lifetime.
A fire truck rolled up at Rock Spring Ranch near Bend with sirens
blaring Saturday and the wedding party was told to evacuate, The
Oregonian reported(QEhJp ).
The minister conducted an abbreviated ceremony. Everyone cheered
and began to evacuate to downtown Bend's Drake Park for the
reception.
As guests headed for the cars, wedding photographer Josh Newton
took some photos of the couple with the wildfire raging in the
background.
Michael Wolber called it "the most beautiful ceremony either of us
could have ever imagined." He and his wife, April Hartley, live in
Aloha and both work at Nike Inc.
"It's terrible to be evacuated from your own wedding," said Lisa
Clark, a fire information officer with the Central Oregon
Interagency Dispatch Center. "But it's a story for the rest of
their lives and nothing that could be duplicated."
The wedding venue was on the edge of the wind-pushed fire, and
deputies and fire trucks were driving through the area telling
people to evacuate as a precaution.
Firefighters were probably sympathetic to the wedding party with
the disruption and permitted the quick ceremony.
"I don't think the firefighters would have allowed the extra few
minutes if it had been that critical," Clark said.
Newton said Tuesday he's heard from many people, including
firefighters, about his photo.
"I've actually heard a lot from the wildfire community and they are
totally amped on it!" he said.
