Scottish islanders save a US couple's wedding after their luggage is lost
Amanda and Paul Riesel traveled more than 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) from Orlando, Florida (USA) to get married on the Isle of Skye in the Scottish Highlands. For two years, Amanda, 40, and Paul, 37, had planned a wedding that cost them around € 14,000 euros ($ 14,100 dollars). However, their dream began to go down the pan after their plane was hijacked in Philadelphia, a detour that resulted in three days of delay: the couple got stuck at several airports before reaching their intended destination. And bad luck wasn't finished with them yet.
via BBC
Pixabay - Not the Actual Photo
Eventually, the exhausted couple arrived in Skye at around 11pm on Monday, the night before their wedding, only to find that all their luggage had gone missing. "We didn't know that the bags hadn't made it all the way to Inverness. We got to the baggage carousel and saw that it was completely empty and our suitcases were not there. I realized that we should have canceled the trip and that there wasn't anything else we could do," said Amanda, who fortunately, had brought the wedding rings in her hand luggage.
With no wedding dress and no groom's tux, the couple were reluctantly ready to cancel the wedding. However, the two hadn't counted on the determination of a local wedding photographer and the island's residents.
Local photographer, Rosie Woodhouse, mobilized the entire Isle of Skye to save Amanda and Paul's wedding. "I told them I was sure I could sort something out. Skye is an amazing place," said Rosie. Just before midnight, the photographer posted an appeal on a local Skye social media site. By 7.30am the next day, the islanders had already set to work to organize the big event. At 10am, they showed up with a choice of eight Amanda-sized wedding dresses and a full selection of kilts for Paul.
Amanda managed to get her makeup done at a local drugstore and Rosie offered the newlyweds a home-cooked meal at her home. "In the middle of the night, people replied to my appeal. A woman even handed over some casual clothes to help the couple with their stay after the wedding," Rosie explained. "We woke up to this beautiful event orchestrated just for us. Thanks to Rosie's efforts, we finally got married. Each person Rosie introduced us to offered to help us and these kind folks will forever have a place in our hearts,” said Amanda.
This is a wedding that can be described as "organized chaos" and has earned the Scottish Isle of Skye international fame for its people's generosity. "We will never have the words to express our gratitude," said the newlyweds.
