Dimly lit wedding delights

“She just had one (bridesmaid) finished with hair and makeup, and then the power went,” explained Branton, who now goes by Samantha Collett.

The prospect of a powerless wedding initially scared her, but the couple elected to go ahead with their Saturday afternoon exchanging of vows in front of family and friends at the local church. Samantha was pleased with the end result.

“It turned out absolutely beautiful,” said the newlywed, speaking on the phone from her parents’ home in Thornlea.

“Between me and him, we were just so pleased. It was close friends and family that could make it there, and that’s all that really mattered to us. We set out to get married, and we got that accomplished, and neither one of us could be happier.”

The Colletts have known each other since they were both 14. The couple had a Christmas engagement three years ago and started planning for their winter wedding during the last year. They initially thought about travelling south for the wedding, but instead decided to have it in Chance Cove so more family members could attend.

Prior to the big day, Samantha was aware of the storm on its way, but did not give any thought to the possibility of a power outage.

“At first, we didn’t know when the power was going to come back,” she said. “It was still daylight, so I called (Nick) and said, ‘Do you want to cancel it?’ He said, ‘No, I don’t want to cancel it.’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t really want to either.’”

Windows in the church helped with light for the wedding ceremony, but it was a chilly affair.

“Everybody could see his or her breath,” said the bride, who lives in Mount Pearl with her husband.

A lack of power meant the church organ could not be used for the ceremony, so Samantha’s cellphone was set up with a cup — used to help amplify music — for the wedding procession.

Cold plates were on the menu for supper, so a lack of heat was not an issue as far as food was concerned.