A Polk County couple's plans for a dream wedding in Washington D.C. quickly turned to a nightmare when they found themselves shut out by the shutdown. With a little help, their very special day turned out to be more than they ever expected.
Mike Music and Brandy Woods, employees of the Polk County Sheriff's Department, had a permit to get married last Friday at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. but the National Park Service said the memorial was closed due to the government shutdown.
"To be so excited and then in a matter of a day you are all the way at the bottom," said Music about the news.
When thier boss Sheriff Grady Judd heard the news, he called Lakeland Congressman Dennis Ross, who then phoned the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. That's when Boehner arranged for a wedding ceremony on a private balcony of the Capitol Building overlooking the National Mall.
"We were just amazed. We couldn't belive it, it didn't really hit us until the day of the wedding when we actually saw what was gonna happen," said Michael.
The newlyweds are now enjoying their honeymoon in the nation's capitol. They're very grateful for their joyous and unique experience at a time when so many others are going through tough times.
"With so many people out of jobs and people up here in D.C. working with no pay, it's been amazing. We're blessed because there's a lot of people up here that don't have the opportunity to have what we have, so we're blessed and very humbled with the experience," said Michael.
They went from a wedding that was almost postponed by the shutdown to a stunning start of a life together.