A North Carolina first responder couple postponed their wedding plans to help with Hurricane Helen disaster recovery and let their love shine during a commitment ceremony amidst the chaos.
“We were scheduled to get married today in Glacier National Park. Hurricane Helen took that special day and trip away from us, but the dates have changed,” Rhonda Cislaghi wrote in a Facebook post. “We intend to change it and make it legal later.”
“But today was our wedding day, and we weren't going to spend any time apart. We thought if we could say our vows and exchange rings today, we would, and how many people… Thanks to those special people, it became possible,” Chisuragi continued while sharing a photo of their special ceremony.
Chislaghi and her current husband, Eric Barnwell, were scheduled to fly from North Carolina on September 29th for their October 2nd wedding. WLOS first reported. Their plans were upended when Hurricane Helen devastated western North Carolina and several neighboring states.
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A North Carolina first responder couple celebrated their love for each other in a commitment ceremony after Hurricane Helen took away their original wedding plans. (Rhonda Chislaghi Facebook)
Chislaghi is a volunteer first responder with the Henderson County Rescue Squad, and her husband is a former department chief with the Skyland Fire Department, WLOS reported. Both have worked as first responders for 30 years.
She told WLOS that after Helen suffered a stroke, she realized she needed to postpone the wedding and help around the house.
“We knew we couldn't make that trip happen because we have too many family members and friends, plus the work going on in each department,” Chisraghi told WLOS. “It was heartbreaking, but it's all in the plan. We'll reschedule and we'll get there.”
Chislaghi told WLOS that she and Barnwell have known each other for “more than 20 years” and started dating in February, were engaged by July and had set a wedding date for October.
Chisuragi added that, as a “pretty determined person,” the two settled on October 2, and that he nevertheless knew in his heart that “that was going to be the day.”
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North Carolina first responders Rhonda Cislaghi and Eric Barnwell postponed their wedding to help with Hurricane Helen recovery. They were still able to get married in an intimate vows ceremony at the train station on their wedding day. (Rhonda Chislaghi Facebook)
She was scheduled to go to her station for work on Wednesday morning, but when she woke up she thought she had to go to Barnwell station, but Barnwell station was where she was coming. She said she didn't know that.
Barnwell was stationed in Buncombe County and was receiving and distributing supplies to those affected by Helen on the morning of the ceremony, Chislaghi told WLOS.
She said that when she arrived at the station to surprise her fiancé, one of her colleagues offered to make her wedding dreams a reality.
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Hurricane Helen ruined first responders Rhonda Cislaghi and Eric Barnwell's original wedding plans, but they were able to wed at an emergency management station. (Rhonda Chislaghi Facebook)
“He looked at me and said, 'Do you want to get married today?' And I said, 'I do.' And he said, 'I'll make it happen.'” Chisuragi looks back. “He went to another building and came back and said it was going to happen today, and we did just that.”
“I am grateful to be surrounded by such caring, supportive and selfless people in Henderson and Buncombe Counties,” Chislaghi said.
Buncombe County Emergency Management Agency officials and a chaplain came to the station and performed a ceremony for the couple. Ms Chisuragi said she was very grateful to everyone who supported them and made the day special, but she still grieved for everyone affected by Helen.
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A North Carolina first responder couple shared their first kiss as husband and wife after Hurricane Helen delayed their original wedding plans. (Rhonda Chislaghi Facebook)
Chislaghi said what they heard and the people they spoke to in the early days and days after the hurricane was “very traumatic” for first responders.
“There are a lot of people who are just pushing through until the moment comes where they can sit down and open up,” Chislaghi said. “These men, brothers and sisters, they have seen it in the last week and a half, and it will not be the same after this.”
The couple still plans to get married in Glacier National Park and hope to reschedule the wedding to late October or November.
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Hurricane Helen has battered the Southeast, killing at least 232 people. Hundreds more people are still missing from the devastating hurricane, the deadliest in the continental United States since Katrina in 2005.
Fox News Digital reached out to the newlyweds but did not immediately receive a response.
