Panav Jha and Victoria Jha spent their wedding day unexpectedly confined to an elevator.
After the wedding ceremony on February 18, the couple and four other family members headed to their after-party on the 16th floor of the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The unexpected plot twist occurred when the group became stranded between the first and second stories. The elevator doors became stuck after only rising approximately five feet, the groom told CNN.
“The doors then began to open, allowing me to see the concrete wall in front of me and the concrete wall behind me. I thought, “That’s not normal.”
Fortunately, the Charlotte Fire Department came to the rescue.
According to bride.com, despite the firefighters’ claims that they receive similar calls frequently, this rescue was more difficult. David Budd, a firefighter, explains, “We tried all the typical things you try on an elevator call, and none of the stuff was working.”
When the team arrived, they used ropes to lift each passenger out of the top of the elevator so they could proceed to the fourth floor. The captain of Rescue 11 explained that they rely on the elevator repair team in such situations, but they also have their own equipment to “make it work”
“We placed them in what is known as a hasty seat. “It’s just a simple seat that hooks around them, and we attach them to our rope rigging system,” explained the captain.
After rescuing the first victim, the guest reportedly requested that the firefighters “bring my sister out next” They were all rescued after two and a half hours.
Once the North Carolina firefighters rescued the group, they took a picture with the newlyweds and posted a Facebook update about the incident.
“Mr and Mrs Jha, we hope today is the start of a long and happy life together,” they wrote on social media.
The photographs depict the bride wearing a lehenga with golden embroidery and the groom in a shirt with matching embroidery.
Sadly, the newlyweds were unable to attend the after-party. Victoria was relieved that she was not stranded alone. She remarked, “At least we got to spend it together,”
Panav concurred and added that it would be a great story to tell the couple’s future children. “I will tell my children that your mother was so beautiful that the fire department had to respond.”
