Arkansas couple weds amid tornado rubble

Their house was destroyed, but the wedding went on

The bride looked radiant in an orange T-shirt and shorts. The groom, wearing a sleeveless shirt and bluejeans, was clearly over the moon.

The wedding of Randy Wright and Angie Ryall of Saltillo, Ark., was anything but traditional. The couple tied the knot days after a tornado destroyed their home and left the groom, who was away at the time, wondering if his beloved had survived the twister, sending certain formalities out the window.

The couple had originally planned to get married next week, but after the tornado struck their home, they decided there was no time like the present, according to ArkansasMatters.com. Instead of waiting, they were married in their backyard this past weekend with friends and relatives cheering them on.

Following the ceremony, the guests helped clean up the massive amounts of debris left behind by the tornado. The community donated drinks and wedding cake for the celebration.

"We wanted it [the wedding] to be meaningful. And this was meaningful," Ryall said to a local television station following their exchange of vows.

"We're lucky," added Wright, before breaking down with what must have been an indescribable mixture of emotions over what was lost and what was gained.

Follow Mike Krumboltz on Twitter (@mikekrumboltz).