One moment the wedding party were laughing and joking as they put on their best smiles for the photographer, the next they were floundering in a muddy lake.
These astonishing images show the moment the wooden decking they were standing on gave way plunging the 80 smartly dressed guests into the water below.
The bizarre dunking happened as bride Marli van der Walt, 34, and her new husband Hoffman, 38, gathered their extended families and friends at a South African beauty spot for a photo of their big day.
Hoffman's sister Alet told how the group excitedly posed for the picture before the deck collapsed.
She said: 'One minute we were all standing together waiting for the photograph to be taken and the next thing I knew I was underwater.
'It was pretty frightening at first - people tried to grab hold of each other for safety.
'Suddenly we were all in the water and it was just chaos.'
Bystanders dived into the lake to help after the incident, which happened at the Dragon Peaks hotel near Winterton in KwaZulu-Natal.
Afterwards, a soaked Hoffman could be seen wringing his socks while another guest's trousers were ripped revealing his underpants.
The bride's elderly mother, who was sitting in her wheelchair when the incident happened, ended up in the water as well as Marli's 88-year-old grandmother and a newborn baby.
Marli and Hoffman, who live in Durban, had chosen the resort's sturdy-looking 'entertainment' deck for their formal wedding photographs after they were married last week.
The scenic structure is in the middle of a picturesque dam and accessed by a wooden walkway.
But Alet said it started creaking as soon as the guests gathered for the photos.
Pictures show the group gathered moments before the decking collapsed and chronicle the chaotic aftermath as the guests thrash about in the water.
What's that creaking sound? The party of 80, including a newborn baby and the bride's mother in an electric wheelchair, arrange themselves on the decking moments before the collapse
Alet added: 'They had wanted everyone on the decking because it was a lovely backdrop for the pictures, with the mountains behind.
Alet added: 'They had wanted everyone on the decking because it was a lovely backdrop for the pictures, with the mountains behind.
'As we stood there was some joking about who was so big that they were making the deck creak, when the deck groaned again.
'The next moment the wooden struts decided they'd had enough and broke right behind where the bride and groom were standing.'
The bride's brother Hubert had been taking photos of the event but ditched his camera to dive in and help when the decking collapsed.
Miraculously only one guest was injured in the incident when his leg got splintered on a piece of wood.
The man, the bride's nephew, was later treated in hospital after his wound became infected.
Once the rescue mission was over hotel staff were sent to retrieve floating shoes, handbags and hats from water. The family said dozens of mobile phones, cameras and wallets were also fished out.
But incredibly the newlyweds seemed unperturbed.
Once everyone was back on dry land they asked the photographer to continue with the wedding portraits.
The bride stood patiently while her new sisters-in-law cleaned her muddied train with a fire hose.
And once the pictures had been taken the group tucked into their wedding dinner as planned.
'The next moment the wooden struts decided they'd had enough and broke right behind where the bride and groom were standing.'
The bride's brother Hubert had been taking photos of the event but ditched his camera to dive in and help when the decking collapsed.
Miraculously only one guest was injured in the incident when his leg got splintered on a piece of wood.
The man, the bride's nephew, was later treated in hospital after his wound became infected.
Once the rescue mission was over hotel staff were sent to retrieve floating shoes, handbags and hats from water. The family said dozens of mobile phones, cameras and wallets were also fished out.
But incredibly the newlyweds seemed unperturbed.
Once everyone was back on dry land they asked the photographer to continue with the wedding portraits.
The bride stood patiently while her new sisters-in-law cleaned her muddied train with a fire hose.
And once the pictures had been taken the group tucked into their wedding dinner as planned.
1 comment:
Hillarious!But they ended up having fun...What a day to remember.
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