Newlyweds take epic wedding picture with a photobomb above their heads from Mother Nature
Clear skies graced the couple at their wedding ceremony in Amarillo, Texas, on Saturday. It was not until after the ceremony, when the newlyweds, Morgan LeeAnn Monteiro and Manuel Monteiro, went to take their bridal photos that a dark cloud moved into the scene.
Morgan told AccuWeather that they instantly thought “we have got to get a picture with that!”
The resulting photos may be described as spectacular, drawing awe from many social media users.
The photos were shared to Facebook on Sunday, April 28, by Amarillo-based photographer Brittani Preece, who captured the couple posing under the cloud formation at the Cornerstone Ranch Events Center in Amarillo.
“There is a saying ‘If it rains on your wedding, it’s good luck.’ So what’s the saying for when a huge Super Cell starts forming?” Preece wrote on Facebook.
On Saturday, several isolated thunderstorms moved across the Texas Panhandle. While there were no reports of severe weather in Amarillo, there was a thunderstorm that produced large hail and a tornado east of Lubbock, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Dave Samuhel.
It is difficult to determine if the storm was a super cell, Samuhel said. A super cell is a thunderstorm that forms by itself, and it is not part of a line. It develops a rotation as a result of the winds above the surface.
Super cell thunderstorms are fairly common at this time of year, and they can last a long time as the rotation keeps them from weakening.
“[The cloud] looks like the base of a developing thunderstorm,” Samuhel said. “It appears to have some rotation to it.”
A thunderstorm may be a bride's worst nightmare, as many fear being rained on in their wedding dress. However, that fear did not deter Morgan from taking the chance with these photos.
“Brittani said, 'Let’s get these before it pours or even a tornado touches down,'" Morgan said. "I was worried about getting rained on. Brittani has a video of me running back inside in my wedding dress because it started to rain.”
Luckily, the rain started to fall after they finished taking the photos.
“Like God was saying, 'Get your pictures,'" Morgan said. "Shortly after, it was pouring and hailing.”
Ultimately, the risk was worth the reward, as the wedding photos have gone viral on social media.
“Amazing,” "stunning," and “beautiful” are among the most common adjectives used by those who have commented on the photos.
Morgan was not expecting for it to storm, much less to have pictures with a massive storm.
“We are beyond happy with the outcome of these pictures,” Morgan told AccuWeather. “Brittani will go above and beyond for the best pictures.”
The photos are surreal, causing some social media users to question whether these photos have been photo-shopped or edited. The photographer responded to critics with this video, which shows the storm hovering over the bridal photo shoot.
The couple is blown away by the attention they have gotten on social media, according to Morgan.
"Marriage is not always easy, it will get ugly at times, just like in a storm. But think of the outcome, after the storm, it’s beautiful," Morgan said.
Others captured incredible images and videos of the spectacular storm that bombarded the Monteiro wedding photos.
A timelapse captured fascinating video of a storm cell churning over Amarillo, Texas,on April 30.
