A North Carolina couple displayed the embodiment of “love conquers all” by getting married in the midst of violent protests that took over the city of Charlotte less than two weeks ago.
Jenelle Davis and Deatric Smith aimed for a chic, city wedding when they began planning their big day a year ago, their wedding planner, Crystal McCorkle told WFAA.
Days before the ceremony, protests broke out over the shooting death of Keith Lamont Scott by a Charlotte police officer, and the venue where it was to be held was vandalized.
McCorkle described the building as looking like “an abandoned hotel,” and to make matters worse, Gov. Pat McCrory had declared a state of emergency in North Carolina due to the riots.
As troops from the National Guard and armored vehicles lined the streets of Charlotte, preparations for the wedding marched on. The hotel hired extra security and established a lockdown on the roof, where the wedding took place, to ease the fears of the bride, groom and their guests.
The traditional wedding was surrounded by chaos. Sirens and the noise from the protests were drowned out by the music and celebrating guests, who could see helicopters flying overhead.
A photo posted by Fabulously Created Events shows the couple kissing while seven soldiers pose on either side of them.
“In situations that might not look glamorous from the outside, it’s always good to reach deep and find love,” McCorkle wrote on Facebook. “LOVE always prevails and their wedding day was absolutely fabulous!”