Love in a cyclone.

Tom and Karen were getting married in Kuranda on Saturday April 12th.  Category 5 Cyclone Ita was due to hit the coast the night before. This is a screen shot of the storm at 2 am.  It had just hit the coast and downgraded to a Category 4.  It was still a big storm and could do anything.

I spoke Tom the next morning about 9, while we were still having wild weather.  The wedding was scheduled for 3.30pm, but had to be postponed.  All the roads were closed, and the resort was out of power.  Only guests staying at the small resort could be there.  The celebrant, more guests, and I couldn’t get to Kuranda.

I had been evacuated from my house in Port Douglas (with all my cameras just in case), and Tom was more concerned about my welfare and how my house was. (All ok).   They are a truly special couple.  Ceremony was rescheduled for 11am Sunday.   Unfortunately for me, all the roads up the range were closed.  We spoke a few times, & decided even though I would miss the ceremony, as soon as the road opened, I would go.  The SES had the road open by 2pm so I was on my way by 5 past. Before Cyclone Ita, we had decided to go to a huge fig for photos just near the resort, which included 4 creek crossings.  I checked it out on my way into the resort and, obviously this was not going to happen.  Below on the left is the 1st crossing – you can see from the grass on the other side how high the water had been. The drive into Cedar Rainforest Resort is a little long!

As I arrived, the power had just come back on, lunch was just being cleared, everyone was very relaxed and delving into the dress up box for the photo corner.

Tom and Karen are a very special couple. They are both marine biologists from Townsville, (these are the people who will save our oceans and planet one day).  Also, something like a Cat 5 cyclone wasn’t going to get in the way of their wedding.   We went back down to the creek where the ceremony had been held earlier in the day for a little re-enactment.

Then we wandered around the resort for a few wedding portraits.  (There’s no way we were going to cross those creeks).

Karen’s sister had made all these fantastic pegs for the wedding.  I love them!

  Karen had fabulous red shoes & had hand sewed the butterflies on her dress.  Tom had great socks which he loved.        

After the first dance…

Tom’s family grabbed him for an old Danish tradition…

…of cutting the toes out of the groom’s socks! And I have to apologise for the cheesiness of the next shot but I had to put it in.  The saying was hanging on a banner in the resort. So sorry I missed the ceremony, but very glad the roads were cleared in time for me to get there on the day!!

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