A Cedar Rapids Couple Got Married in the Derecho Aftermath

Not even a derecho can stop true love!

Cedar Rapidian Danielle Neff, like brides all over the country, has been dealt a difficult hand when it comes to wedding planning in 2020. Social distancing restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic are already tricky to plan around, but just as Danielle's hard work was about to pay off, Mother Nature decided to make things worse.

Danielle and Chris were supposed to get married at Squaw Creek this past Saturday, August 15th, but Monday's storm put an end to that plan pretty quickly. A couple of days after the derecho wreaked havoc all over Cedar Rapids, the couple discovered that their venue would no longer be available to them. They then faced the difficult decision of postponing the wedding, canceling the entire thing, or trying to throw together a new dream wedding in only two days. This Facebook post from Danielle on the Iowa Derecho Storm Resource page reveals the path they decided to take:

"During all this mess with COVID and now this crazy derecho, we had our dream wedding planned at Squaw Creek this weekend... well, unfortunately, that didn't and couldn't happen due to the damage in Marion. But, we decided to still get married in downtown Cedar Rapids at the McGrath Amphitheatre! We didn't let this stop us, it was still a dream come true."

In addition to the change of venue, the bride and groom's guest count went from 180 to about 20, but they were still able to go against the odds and get married in the wake of a natural disaster. They even had a fun surprise! The Facebook post reads:

"Huge shout out to the random gentleman in the white van that saw us downtown taking pictures! He made us feel so amazing and special, given the circumstances and no power. He played the classic wedding song you walk down the aisle to and circled around us in the streets playing his harmonica. This was one of the most memorable and unselfish things this gentleman did!"

Local photographer Michael Grobin captured the photos for the big event. Here's a sneak peek of the pictures:

Michael Grobin Photography