A Missouri couple got an unexpected guest at their beautiful beach wedding in Malibu: a Fire Department rescue helicopter lifting a stranded climber to safety.
Despite spending months planning their dream nuptials, the soon-to-be newlyweds rolled with it, even taking a photo with their two hands making a heart over the hovering chopper.
The April 25 wedding took place near scenic Point Dume, where a rock climber was stuck mid-face, according to a Fire Department Instagram post about the cliff rescue.
Wedding photographer Stephanie Gill said she noticed the climber ascending the face as she shot photos of David and Jihan Chesher, who are from a Kansas City suburb.
Then, as the ceremony was about to start, Gill heard the climber say his rope was stuck and he could not ascend or descend. The climber’s partner apparently called for help.
“When the fire trucks, cop cars, ambulance and lifeguard trucks all come up, I said, ‘What’s next, a helicopter!?’” Gill wrote in an email to KTLA.
With emergency response chaos in the background, the ceremony went forward.
As the couple stood at their oceanside altar, they heard a helicopter approach, “like straight out of movie,” Gill said.
David Chesher said the bridesmaids and groomsmen looked on, mouths agape.
“I grabbed her hands and said, ‘Oh, you have got to be kidding me,’” Chesher said in an interview with KSHB in Kansas City.
The pair burst into laughter, and the wedding stopped while the rescue was completed.
“I get that some people might freak out about it, but I have no control over that helicopter up there in the air, so it was just funny at that point,” Jihan Chesher said.
The climber came over, apologized and offered to buy them a gift, David Chesher said.
After Ventura-based Gill posted photos of the wedding-crashing helicopter on Instagram, the images were spread across the Internet.
The Fire Department’s Air Operations section even posted about it on Instagram, writing, “To the happy couple enjoying your wedding on beach … we trust the beautiful sky & helicopter rescue at your ceremony are sign of great adventure to come! From all of us at Air Ops, thank you for allowing us to attend your special day. We wish you the best!”