April Choi, 32, and Bethany Byrnes, 28, decided to do things slightly differently for their wedding, by literally burning for each other.
The same-sex couple are both adrenaline-junkie entertainers, and include things like fire-breathing as part of their shows. Their wedding, which took place on October 13th, was a chance to do something truly unique and spectacular, so they donned specially altered wedding gowns with detachable trains. Guests then doused the trains with fuel and set them alight with torches, along with the words: "You may now light the brides."
April, from Illinois, said: "A person from my wedding party lit my dress and one from Bethany's wedding party lit hers. We tried to get them to match evenly but mine ran up first and Bethany's took a while but it slowly burnt up the skirt. I think Bethany managed eight seconds in hers and mine was 12 seconds before I had to drop it."
"I don't think I will ever forget it and nor will anybody else who attended the wedding, especially our parents who were greatly concerned for our safety."
"They were very very nervous."
Bethany added: "I was super nervous. I have done fire performance for fun and professionally, but as I watched the fuel being poured on April's dress I couldn't help but think it was a ton of fuel to be wearing. It was such an adrenaline rush when the dresses went up in flames."
"You just have to repeat in your head that it's fine, you've done this before and all of the safety has been figured out. It really is safe. You just have to feel the heat on your back and judge from experience when you need to ditch."
Having so many of friends in the entertainment industry meant that the stunt was done safely by experienced hands; their guests included eight fire performers and a certified pyrotechnic. There was also a medic in attendance, and the couple took other steps to ensure the stunt was safe including wetting the ground and having fire extinguishers on hand. To ensure their skin wouldn't burn, the brides wore cotton leggings to protect their legs and tied back their hair.
"Every single thing we could think of that could possibly go wrong, we had contingency plans," April explained. "I'm ecstatic with the photos. I wasn't sure how it would work out, but it worked out beautifully."
April Choi, 32, and Bethany Byrnes, 28, are both adrenaline junkies and began dating in 2013
Image credits: SWNS
They tied the knot on 13th October this year
Image credits: SWNS
After they exchanged vows, the newlyweds changed into different gowns
Image credits: SWNS
And then had guests set them alight with torches upon on the cue: "You may now light the brides"
Image credits: SWNS
The couple took safety very seriously, and wore cotton tights to protect their legs while also having fire extinguishers on hand
Image credits: SWNS
The pictures were incredible
Image credits: SWNS
Image credits: SWNS
April, from Illinois, said: "A person from my wedding party lit my dress and one from Bethany's wedding party lit hers"
Image credits: Bradley Lan
Watch the flames set alight in this video
Both women are entertainers, and include things like fire-breathing as part of their shows
Image credits: Bradley Lan
Behind the scenes of the photoshoot
People couldn't decide if the stunt was a good idea or not
