A pair of North Carolina newlyweds will have a wedding night story that will surely become a tale passed down through the generations. Panav and Victoria Jha had just exchanged vows and were headed up to celebrate their nuptials with friends at their wedding reception when the unthinkable happened. The elevator stopped, trapping the couple and four of their guests inside.
The pair were headed up but became stuck on the 16th floor of Grand Bohemian Hotel in Charlotte on February 19, where they sat for more than two hours, the New York Post reported. It was certainly not how anyone envisions their wedding night, but those vows say, "in good times and bad," right?
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The couple thought it was just a momentary glitch.
At first, Panav Jha thought that the elevator would start to move again, but he quickly realized he was wrong.
"When it first happened, I thought it had stopped for a few seconds. It'll restart. And then we noticed that the door was just slightly ajar," he told Queen City News.
In an interview with CNN, he said that what he saw next was unusual. "I could see a concrete wall in front of me and I could see a concrete wall behind me," he said about the elevator doors and thought, "That's not normal."
The group made the best of their time in the elevator.
Victoria Jha told Queen City News that although it wasn't the ideal way to spend their wedding night, at least the couple was together. The group took photos of the bride and groom sitting on the floor while they called for help. The Charlotte Fire Department came to the rescue.
Getting the group out of the elevator was a bit tricky.
The fire department posted about the rescue efforts on its Facebook page. Firefighters joked that they weren't really invited to the party, but they wouldn't call themselves wedding crashers, either.
Crews worked for two hours to get the bride, groom, and guests out of the elevator. They ultimately had to rig up equipment to hoist the trapped group from the elevator. The department's Facebook post explained that the first person to emerge told the crew, "please get my sister out next, she's the one in the wedding dress."
"They harnessed me up, got me in full gear, and pulled me up four floors with a fireman," Victoria Jha told Queen City News. Her husband joked that it was James Bond kind of stuff.
The elevator experience was a bit of a black eye on a special evening.
By the time firefighters got everyone out of the elevator, the party was over.
This was certainly different from how the couple thought their life together would begin. They were devastated not to be able to celebrate with friends or to end the evening the traditional way.
"We were not able to celebrate or do the last kisses or goodbyes. And that's what put the damper on everything. That's how the wedding night had to end," Victoria Jha said.
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Even though it wasn't a fairy tale ending, the rescue inspired followers on social media.
Residents praised the Charlotte Fire Department for the rescue efforts, and the couple received well-wishes.
"Definitely a memorable wedding day. Glad it all turned out happy," a comment on Facebook reads.
"Ok, Charlotte Fire, I always like to read about you . . . but this tops it all. Thanks for your service and best wishes to the couple for a lifetime of memories," someone else chimed in.
One follower made a pretty good point. "Congratulations on the rescue! That was Test #1 on the marriage and they are both smiling so many wishes for a very happy life together," the person wrote.
May the happy couple have many beautiful years together. We bet that next time they'll take the stairs.
