Wedding gear stranded after Ian closes SC beach town access

PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — Saturday turned out to be a sparklingly beautiful fall day in Pawleys Island, an idyllic spot for an early fall wedding in South Carolina, sandwiched between the Atlantic oceanfront and expansive marshland that typify the state's coastal beauty.

But the perfect wedding day almost didn't come together for two families who traveled to the island for nuptial festivities that almost got derailed by Hurricane Ian's landfall and aftermath.

Mary Lord and her family traveled to Pawleys Island from Fort Worth, Texas, for the Saturday wedding of her son, Eric.

AJ McCullough's family came from Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to see her daughter, Monroe, walk down the aisle as the bride.