Many engaged couples anxiously watch the weather forecast for fear of rain—but one bride and groom faced another threat.
A video posted by Tayla Gibb (@taylajadegibb) has gone viral after she shared clips of the powerful winds that disrupted her wedding—but made her professional photos uniquely beautiful. Gibb, 28, told Newsweek about the inadvertent aesthetic the wind created, and the most-special aspects of her big day.
“You were sad about the wind on your wedding day until you got the photos,” Gibb wrote in the caption. “When life gives you galeforce winds.”
The wind plays havoc with hair and dresses in Tayla Gibb’s TikTok video. The clip has gone viral after she shared the photos taken during “galeforce” winds.
@taylajadegibb/TikTok
The wedding took place in Lake Como, Italy, Gibb said—a dream destination for the couple. They found out about the possibility of strong winds only the night before the wedding, at the rehearsal dinner.
“What happened was, the boat company we had hired to transport us and our guests to our ceremony venue had informed us that, if the weather too bad, they unfortunately would have to cancel their service,” Gibb said. “This was particularly worrying as our venue only allowed entrance by boat.”
In fact, the ability to enter the venue by vehicle was possible only with a signed letter from the boat company declaring the service must be canceled. With the news, Gibb’s wedding planner began to reach out to her contacts.
“As the next morning rolled around, all hope that we would be able to get there by boat faded rather swiftly as our planner received news of an extreme weather warning of 80 kilometers [50 miles] per hour winds,” Gibb said.
While her wedding planner secured backup vehicles for transport, there were more challenges to be faced: The original position the couple intended to take for their ceremony had become a wind tunnel. Instead, they had to marry indoors.
Gibb was disappointed. “As a bride, you have this vision for how your day was ‘meant’ to happen,” she said. “You’ve gone over those details time and time again, hoping for things to be picture-perfect.”
However, she and her husband made a promise to each other that no matter what happened, they wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of the day’s joy.
‘Beyond Grateful’
The couple’s pact served them well—it was clear in the Gibbs’ wedding photos.
“[The agreement] allowed us to fully embrace the utter chaos that unfolded during our post-ceremony photos,” Gibb said. “The wind turned into my favorite memory of the day; the laughter and genuine emotions we felt in that moment truly couldn’t be replaced by anything.”
The photos taken by the couples’ photographer, Roman Ivanov, were well loved on TikTok, with more than 11.1 million views. “A true depiction of embracing the chaos,” Gibb said.
In the end, the Gibbs’ intimate wedding of 17 people was all she imagined and more. It was a dream since the pandemic to have a “micro-wedding,” and Gibb said spending time with her nearest and dearest in a beautiful place was all that mattered in the end.
“From start to finish, unexpected turbulence and all, it was just the most incredible experience, and I am beyond grateful to have a family and friends who would fly halfway around the world to celebrate that special moment with us,” she added. “I truly couldn’t have asked for anything more.”
