Tennessee Wedding Gets Interrupted When Mama Bear and Her Cubs Wander in Mid-Ceremony (Exclusive)
Fabiola and Austin Kasperek on their wedding day; bear wedding crashersCredit: Courtesy of Sarah Ormiston PhotographyWhen Fabiola and Austin Kasperek tied the knot in a mountainside wedding, their guests were in for a big surprise when bears showed up to the ceremony
Fabiola and Austin Kasperek spotted a mama bear and her cubs about 10 minutes into their Pigeon Forge ceremony
The Florida couple had not been warned about possible bear sightings at their Tennessee venue
Venue staff eventually scared the bears away after guests reacted with fear and excitement
Fabiola and Austin Kasperek were getting ready to say “I do,” when a mama bear and her two cubs crashed their big day.
On Thursday, Oct. 15, Fabiola and Austin tied the knot in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The Fort Myers, Florida-based couple tells PEOPLE that although they were getting married in black bear country, they hadn’t been warned about potential bear sightings.
“I didn’t even think bears would want to be around people, music and noise,” Fabiola, 33, shares. “I had not seen any bear photos either in any of the photos the venue had posted.”
Fabiola and Austin Kasperek on their wedding dayCredit: Courtesy of Sarah Ormiston Photography
About 10 minutes into the ceremony, Fabiola heard one of her guests gasp. As she looked up and around, she realized a mama bear and her cubs were right behind her officiant.
“I felt excited at first,” recalls the bride. “Like, oh my God, there are bears right there! I made a face and no one looked around. I waited a few minutes and I had to say, ‘I’m so sorry, I have to interrupt. There are three bears right behind you.’ ”
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Fabiola says that her guests’ reactions were mixed. Some were scared, while others wanted to record the moment forever.
“Some people definitely freaked out,” she says. “Everyone turned back and gasped and some stood up to try to take photos. For some reason, I felt calm. I’m normally anxious but I just thought, ‘This will be remembered forever.’ ”
Bears crash Fabiola and Austin Kasperek’s Tennessee weddingCredit: Courtesy of Sarah Ormiston Photography
The bears only stayed for about five minutes. Eventually, the venue owner came out to help scare the bears away, and they left one by one.
Looking back on her wedding, Fabiola says she’ll never forget the once-in-a-lifetime moment of seeing a group of bears at her ceremony.
Fabiola and Austin Kasperek on their wedding dayCredit: Courtesy of Sarah Ormiston Photography
“I’ll never shut up about this,” she shares. “I’m a wedding photographer and I’ve been in the industry for almost six years and never in my career have I seen anything like this.”
“I wanted something unique and different than a ‘Florida’ wedding, and we totally got that and more!”
Source: Nature