Hurricane Charley forces last minute change in Tajchman wedding
Staff writer
Most brides would probably say their wedding day was not only one of the happiest days of their lives, but also one of the most hectic.
So, imagine how hectic it might be if the wedding had to be moved at the last minute from Goodland to Kansas City.
Although the distance isn't the same, former Marion resident Alesha (Tajchman) Salomoni faced just such a challenge in August, thanks to the unwelcome arrival of Hurricane Charley.
Alesha and her fiancé, Martin Salomoni, planned to marry Saturday, Aug. 14 on Anna Maria Island, located on the southwestern panhandle of Florida. Instead, they had to move the wedding to Cocoa Beach, located on the east Florida coast.
"It was quite an adventure," Alesha said with a laugh. She and her now-husband Martin make their home in Salt Lake City, Utah.
When Alesha and Martin began making arrangements for their small family ceremony nine months beforehand, dealing with a hurricane was the furthest thought from their minds.
"We'd been to Florida a couple times before," Alesha said. "My parents had their 25th anniversary celebration there."
Alesha said she initially chose three possible locations — Anna Maria Island, located south of Tampa, a location further south near Naples, Fla., or Cocoa Beach, on the opposite coast.
"I was looking for a place that wouldn't be too crowded that wasn't a big tourist attraction," she said.
Settling on Anna Maria Island, Alesha — with the assistance of a wedding coordinator — made the necessary arrangements.
However, by the time the big week arrived, other trouble was brewing. The year 2004 turned out to be one of the most active hurricane and tropical storm seasons on record for the state of Florida.
So when Alesha and Martin arrived the Tuesday before the wedding on Anna Maria Island, the state already had been pummeled several times.
"Tropical Storm Bonnie was north of us and they started talking about Charley," Alesha said. "He was growing in strength below Cuba."
Alesha's family from Marion — Kay and Charles Tajchman and her brother and sisters, Heath, Heather, Amy, and Kari — flew in Wednesday, but Martin's family from Paraguay weren't scheduled to arrive until Thursday.
"We were staying in a little hotel on the beach and were playing in the pool. Then we heard a mandatory evacuation had been ordered for Anna Maria Island," she explained. "We decided we probably better go see what they wanted us to do," she explained.
"On Thursday, they asked us to evacuate."
The couple thought about postponing the wedding one day, but quickly dismissed it.
"My family was planning to leave after the (Saturday) wedding and I didn't want them to miss it," Alesha recalled.
So, less than two days away from their wedding date, the couple had to move the ceremony away from the projected path of a hurricane.
"We thought about the Orlando area because hurricanes never go to Orlando," she said with a laugh.
So Alesha, Martin, and her family packed their bags and headed inland to Orlando Friday for an oceanside wedding on Cocoa Beach.
Unfortunately, Martin's family hadn't arrived in Anna Maria Island yet and the couple had no way of letting them know what was happening.
"We were wondering how we were going to get in contact with them and let them know we were moving," Alesha said. "Luckily, they called."
Making and maintaining contact was no easy feat. Hurricane Charley ended up taking a surprise turn, making landfall Aug. 13 in southwest Florida at Charlotte Harbor, near Punta Gorda — an area not terribly far from the original wedding location.
"After it hit it was hard to get in touch with people. There was no power and phone lines were down," Alesha explained.
But after arriving in Orlando, Alesha had only a day to make new wedding arrangements.
"We had to get a new minister in Cocoa Beach. We found a minister and his wife in the phone book," she said with a laugh. "They were willing to help us out and they knew a place we could have the ceremony."
One hour before the ceremony was set to begin, Martin's family arrived — his mother, Augusta Salomoni, Rafael and Monica Salomoni and their children, Juan Pablo, Alejandra, Alexia, Rafael, and Fabricio. The Salomonis and the Tajchmans witnessed the ceremony.
The couple's good luck continued. Although the hurricane caused tornadoes, high winds, and torrential rain throughout the state, by the time the wedding was set to begin Saturday they only had to deal with rain.
"There were still a few rain showers, but the rain let up long enough for us to have the ceremony on the beach and take pictures," Alesha said.
"Now I know why they tell you to always have a backup when making wedding plans," she said with a laugh.
Alesha said the experience gave everyone a new appreciation for the things which are "truly important" in life.
"Little details like flowers aren't important. What really matters in the end is you and your husband and your families," Alesha said. "I was just happy to get everybody there.
"Our families were just great about the whole thing," she added. "I couldn't have asked for better attitudes."
Growing up in Kansas, Alesha said she had experienced snow, wind, rain, and tornadoes, but the hurricane was something new.
"Someone up above was definitely watching over us," Alesha said. "It all worked out in the end.
