Lightning Singes Beach Wedding 'We'll Never Forget'

By ABC News May 2, 2013

If rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck, then Brian Lehrman and Holly Thornton are in for a long, happy marriage.

The newlyweds, from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, got an unexpected bolt of energy in the middle of their beachfront wedding in Key Largo, Fla., last month when a blast of lightning lit up the evening sky.

"They were about one-third of the way through the ceremony, during a prayer," the bride's uncle, Bruce Thornton, told ABCNews.com today of the exact moment when the sky lit up during the couple's April 5 wedding.

"There was a flash, then a lightning strike and then thunder," Thornton said. "There was a ball of flame and then an explosion, like a big boom."

A video of the ceremony posted to YouTube shows the couple, who could not be reached today by ABCNews.com, bowing their heads under an umbrella while the pastor, wedding party and a photographer look on. In a split second, the stillness is broken by a loud bolt and shock of light as the assembled parties duck and then look up in shock.

"All of that happened in just one second," Thornton said. "My brother, the father of the bride, was out there and said he felt like his legs got singed from the lightning."

In a show-must-go-on moment, the ceremony continued. Afterwards, the bride and groom cemented their already-wet nuptials by jumping into the pool, bridal gown and tux, respectively, and all.

"That's what a fun-loving couple they are," Thornton said. "They make the best of everything."

Thompson says the entire wedding day had been shrouded in clouds and light rain but it only really started pouring as the 6 p.m. ceremony was about to begin. As the nearly 70 guests looked on from under the cover of the beachfront property's home, the bride and groom decided to forge ahead with their outdoor, destination wedding.

"The next day, Brian described the wedding as 'perfect,'" Thornton said. "It was a wedding that we'll never forget anyways."