Amid flood and curfew, couple says 'I do'

It's basically any bride's worst nightmare.

Not only is it raining on the wedding day, it's flooding. Not only is the ceremony time, date and location in jeopardy, there's a parish-wide 7 p.m. curfew. Not only are the wedding coordinator and Cajun band unable to get to the ceremony, the catering staff is being rescued by boat.

Good thing Laura Grieneisen, 29, isn't just any bride.

"Our wedding was the first time most of my friends and family had been to Louisiana," she said. "They thought it was great. They were like, 'This is what a hurricane party is like.'"

Grieneisen and her new husband, Ethan Guagliardo, 32, express gratitude instead of disappointment over the chaos surrounding their wedding, which took place Saturday afternoon at Warehouse 535 in downtown Lafayette.

"There was a sense of community and purpose in the midst of the storm," Guagliardo said. "We were worried in the morning, but a sense of tranquility came over me as I looked disaster in the face."

The bride and groom learned the morning of the wedding that some of their vendors wouldn't be able to deliver and others would have to make adjustments because of the historic flooding happening in south Louisiana.

The Cajun band couldn't travel because of the high water. The wedding coordinator's home was flooding. The caterer's supply storage unit had flooded.

But dozens of family and friends had flown in for this wedding, and many came together to make the wedding a reality despite the circumstances surrounding the wedding day.

Meche's would deliver the king-cake-style wedding cake earlier than planned. Bread & Circus would cater the meal without the normal serving utensils. Warehouse 535's manager would buy champagne from a grocery store.

"It was a wonderful thing to be a part of, but it was completely nuts," said Bread & Circus co-owner Abi Falgout. "I met with this couple time and time again to plan this reception. It was heartbreaking to go from this elaborate thing to serving everything with disposable utensils."

Falgout learned early Saturday the wedding was still happening. She promised to do as much as she could to make it a success, even offering to host it herself if the downtown venue couldn't.

But Craig Lovewell, manager of Warehouse 535, was confident that the wedding would still happen.

"There was never a doubt in my mind," Lovewell said. "I got the crew together. We got the staff here. Due to the weather, they couldn't get some deliveries. We just did some things ourselves and did the best we could to make it happen."

Need to know: The latest flood info, how to help and how to get help

At first, the thought of catering a wedding during a natural disaster seemed trivial, Falgout said. But her mindset changed once she realized how understanding the couple was and how far many had traveled for the wedding because Grieneisen is from Pennsylvania.

Even Grieneisen and Guagliardo had traveled — she from Turkey and he from Indiana — to be married near his hometown of Crowley.

"At the end of the day, it's completely representative of Cajun culture," Falgout said. "Come hell or high water, we're there for people no matter what. If those people want to get married, we'll be there. We'll throw a party. It's the most Cajun thing I can think of."

About one-third of the guests who RSVPed to the wedding could no longer make it. Some were trapped in their houses by flooded roadways. A cousin in Denham Springs was being rescued by helicopter from his flooded home.

The ceremony had to happen at 4 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. because of the 7 p.m. curfew.

"Everything happening around us gave us the sense of danger that makes things more exciting," Guagliardo said. "It gave everyone at the wedding a heightened sense of the miracle that is two people coming together. It was much more memorable than a standard wedding."

Join the effort: Acadiana Roots concert to benefit flood victims

One of the day's most remarkable things happened behind the scenes.

Three Bread & Circus employees were rescued from their flooded home just hours before the wedding. They learned the ceremony had been moved up and quickly shifted into work mode.

"It's certainly not the most important thing that happened during the flood," Falgout said. "But it's a great example of our Cajun culture and how we're going to survive."

Important links: School closures |  Road closures |  How to apply for federal aid

Bread & Circus general manager Rosalinda Augello and her two roommates, who also work at the restaurant, packed up their pets, laptops, money and little else before evacuating from their flooded home around noon Saturday.

"Yes, we had just left our house in a boat and all these things are happening to us," Augello said. "But it was nice to be able to not think about it and to be able to do something for somebody else."

They prepped and cooked the entire menu as planned in record time to feed the 75 guests who could make it to the wedding.

"It was kind of like a no-thought-about-it thing really," said Zoe Huval. "It was just second nature."

Now, like much of the community, Huval and her roommates are assessing the damage and figuring out what happens next.

"Everything is kind of like a dystopian atmosphere," Huval said. "Going into your house and just smelling the flood damage and what it did, seeing the floors just torn apart — it's been emotional to say the least."

About 6 inches of water entered their house, a rental property near Ambassador Caffery Parkway and Congress Street in Lafayette.

Augello broke down into tears when speaking about being rescued from her home and what awaited her a day later when she returned.

"Everyone is in the situation we are in," she said. "You can’t really put yourself above anyone else. We have to all be patient and support each other through it."

MORE FLOOD COVERAGE: The latest on Gueydan, Crowley and Lake Arthur |Several parishes under new flash flood warning | Abbeville residents picking up the pieces | More than 1,500 Lafayette structures flooded | Meet the heroes of the Louisiana flood