Bride and groom miss wedding reception after getting trapped in elevator

“We go up maybe five feet and then just stopped,” the groom recalled

A bride and groom say they missed out on their wedding reception because they got stuck in an elevator.

Newlyweds Victoria and Panav Jha reflected on their big day during a recent interview with WBTV, a television station in Charlotte, North Carolina. While at the Grand Bohemian Hotel earlier this month, the couple finished their wedding ceremony and were making their way to the 16th floor for the reception. Their plans came to a halt when the hotel’s elevator got stuck.

“We go up maybe five feet and then just stopped,” Panav recalled. “The door was slightly ajar, so I was like: ‘Hmm, that’s not normal.’”

Along with the bride and groom, four other people who were a part of the wedding party were also in the elevator. In order to get the group out of the space, the Charlotte Fire Department was contacted, but firefighter David Budd told the outlet that getting the wedding party out of the elevator was a bit tricky.

“We went through all of the normal troubleshooting that you do on an elevator call and none of that was working, so that’s when we realised we were going to elevate it to what it ended up being, what was a rope rescue,” he said.

Another firefighter at the hotel, Michael Claycomb, also described how they helped each of the six people out.

“We put them in what’s called a hasty seat, it’s just a simple seat that hooks around them and we hook them up to our rope rigging system,”  he said. “They get raised up from there and it’s a simple process for them at least, for us it’s a little complex.”

Panav said the group was “in there for close to two and a half hours,” before adding: “I would say, the rest is an experience.”

As a result of the elevator getting stuck between the lobby and first floor, the newlyweds ended up missing out on their wedding after-party. They also didn’t get to say their farewells to all of their guests, some of whom travelled from out of town for the nuptials.

“We were not able to celebrate or do the last kisses or goodbyes. And that’s what put the damper on everything,” Victoria toldQueen City News. “That’s how the wedding night had to end.”

Despite the downsides of the experience, Victoria did share that there were some good things about the event too.

“It’s kind of like a blessing in disguise. I’d like to say I can’t imagine if this was me alone or him alone, at least we got to spend it together, so that’s what mattered,” she told WBTV.

Panav echoed his wife’s sentiment about the situation, adding: “It’s going to be one we remember forever. I’m going to tell my kids your mom was so beautiful, the fire department had to come.”

Following the wedding party’s rescue, the Charlotte Fire Department shared a photo of its firefighters with the newlyweds on its social media accounts. The department celebrated the nuptials in the caption, writing: “Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Jha on your wedding day. Although Charlotte Fire wasn’t formally invited, we weren’t exactly wedding crashers either.”

The post continued to reflect on the rescue: “After the first person was rescued, she said: ‘Please get my sister out next, she’s the one in the wedding dress.’ All [six people] who were pulled to safety were part of the Jha wedding party. Thankfully, no one required medical attention.”