- Krystalee Krey and Seth Bowles had to change their wedding plans due to the
coronavirus pandemic. - Instead of their destination wedding in Hawaii, they got married while dangling from a cliff at Turtle Wall in St. George, Utah.
- "If we weren't able to hold our big celebrations we had planned, we wanted to do something fun and adventurous instead," Krey told Insider.
Krystalee Krey and Seth Bowles were planning to tie the knot in June with a destination wedding in Hawaii. Instead, they said "I do" while supported by climbing knots, dangling from a cliff at Turtle Wall in St. George, Utah.
Like many couples, Krey and Bowles were forced to change their original wedding plans due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"In the beginning, shutdown dates were so uncertain and it was so stressful to know if I should book family flights, hotels, and all the arrangements involved in destination wedding planning," Krey told Insider via email. "Could the country open up the end of April? May? June? Ever? No one knew, especially at that time. So it was a huge relief when we decided to just elope and have fun doing it! We could enjoy being married, stop stressing about dates, and still look forward to our big celebrations when the virus is gone."
An adventurous couple who has traveled extensively together (Bowles popped the question at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro), they decided to have a spur-of-the-moment "cliffhanger wedding" that was true to their daring nature.
"If we weren't able to hold our big celebrations we had planned, we wanted to do something fun and adventurous instead," Krey said.
They planned the entire event in two days. They opted for Utah because it was the easiest place for their impromptu officiant, one of Krey's best friends, to receive his license to wed in one day. Friends volunteered to help with hair, makeup, photos, videos, livestreams, and of course, the ropes.
On April 20, Krey and Bowles exchanged vows while secured in harnesses, Krey holding her bouquet with one hand and the rope with the other. Afterwards, she changed into a traditional wedding dress for photos amid Utah's famous red cliffs.
Her advice for other couples having to rethink their wedding plans is to just go ahead and get married anyway.
"Do it!" she said. "It was the biggest stress reliever to be able to stop planning for an unknown date. You and your partner are what matter most on your special day, so have fun with it and worry about the big celebrations later."
- Read more:
- 6 things that might never happen at weddings again in a post-coronavirus world
- 15 thoughtful gifts to cheer up friends whose weddings have been canceled or postponed
- Stop rescheduling your wedding for spring 2021 — the pandemic still won't be over
- A couple got married at home because of the coronavirus, and their entire neighborhood surprised them by celebrating from their cars