Biltmore Estate staff, guests host impromptu wedding for couple during Helene
Hotel staff, guests host wedding during Helene
Jansen and Travis Putnam were set to be married at the Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Their plans were sidetracked as Hurricane Helene hit the city, trapping them inside the hotel, and forcing the wedding to be canceled. When the Biltmore guests and staff heard about this, they decided to throw a wedding for the couple themselves. LiveNOW from FOX host Christy Matino spoke to the Putnams about their special day.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Jansen and Travis Putnam had planned their dream wedding. They were set to get married at the iconic Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, on Sept. 28, in front of 170 guests.
Then, Tropical Storm Helene hit, and the couple found themselves stuck at the hotel: They had to tell their 170 guests the wedding would be canceled.
"We were on the grounds of the Biltmore Estate, so at that point they had pretty much informed us that it wasn’t safe to leave and it wasn’t safe for people to get on the grounds either, so people couldn’t come in," Jansen said in an interview with LiveNow from FOX.
But the Biltmore staff and other guests who couldn’t leave the estate weren’t going to let a storm hamper the couple’s big day, even if the hotel was without electricity and water.
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One of the staff members at the Biltmore got ordained just so she could marry them. They made a flower bouquet for the bride that was wrapped in napkins. A photographer who happened to also be stuck at the estate took photos for them on her iPhone. A family friend did Jansen’s hair and makeup, while the Biltmore staff and guests rearranged the courtyard so they had an aisle to walk down. Hotel guests and staff attended the impromptu ceremony.
Jansen and Travis Putnam (Moments by MCQ)
"Not only did people come together, but it looked so good when it did come together. I mean, it was absolutely beautiful. It was more than what we could have ever hoped for," Jansen said.
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"There were a lot of tears, a lot of happy tears … you know, people went out of their way just to make something special for us when we really hadn't even had a chance to think about us still getting married on that day," Jansen recalled.
The Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890s and hosts about 175 weddings a year, according to The Asheville Citizen Times. The 8,000-acre estate, one of North Carolina’s most popular tourist destinations, has been closed since Helene devastated Asheville and surrounding areas.
The Biltmore Estate, the largest privately owned home in America, built by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895, is one of area's major tourist draws as viewed on October 20, 2016 in Asheville, North Carolina. It remained closed as of Oct. 11 due
At least 72 people died in Buncombe County where Biltmore is located, according to NPR. Some 200 people were unaccounted for as of Oct. 3, but dozens of people have been rescued since then.
RELATED: Helene kills 11 members of the same family after mudslide destroys their community
In a social media post, Biltmore staff said forested areas had extensive wind damage, and the entrance to Biltmore in Biltmore Village had significant flooding and damage to buildings.
The winery, gardens and hotels sustained minimal damage, the estate said. Sadly, a few of their animals died during the storm.
But through the bad, there is always good, as the Putnams experienced firsthand.
"We were just overwhelmed about how people could do that for us," Travis said. "We were just happy that we were able to get married."