Newlyweds from North Carolina miss their wedding reception after being stuck in elevator

A newlywed couple in North Carolina missed their own wedding reception, and a broken elevator was to blame for it. On Sunday, Victoria and Panav Jha exchanged vows and said their "I do's" in front of their guests before planning to make a grand entry at their reception in Charlotte. 

However, fate had other plans, and the pair got stuck inside a lift for two long hours as their guests waited, thinking the duo was just fashionably late to the event. “We got up maybe five feet, then boom we got stuck. I could see a concrete wall in front of me and I could see a concrete wall behind me,” Panav said in a conversation with CNN, adding that he realised: “That’s not normal.”

The pair was trapped on the 16th floor of the Grand Bohemian Hotel. Speaking to Queen City News, Victoria said: "The elevator had a glitch and here we are. It had to happen with the groom and I both stuck in the elevator. So, at least it wasn’t just one of us." 

WEDDING NIGHT RESCUE: 6 people were trapped in a hotel elevator between the first and second floor. All 6 who Charlotte firefighters pulled to safety, were part of the Jha wedding party. Mr. and Mrs. Jha, we hope today is the start of a long and happy life. pic.twitter.com/M6gJVawQDc

— Charlotte Fire Dept. (@charlottefire)

Firefighters send greetings to the pair after rescuing them

However, the couple wasn't alone in their unpleasant post-wedding experience. Along with them in the elevator was the bride's sister, and three more wedding guests. Two hours into the ordeal, the group was rescued by Charlotte Fire Department, which pulled the occupants of the lift through the top with a harness.

“They harnessed me up, got me in full gear, and pulled me up four floors with a fireman,” Victoria said, as her husband said that he felt like a spy. “I would say James Bond. Maybe Mission Impossible," he said. 

Taking to Twitter, the firefighters who rescued the group wrote: “WEDDING NIGHT RESCUE. 6 people were trapped in a hotel elevator between the first and second floor. All 6 who Charlotte firefighters pulled to safety, were part of the Jha wedding party. Mr. and Mrs. Jha, we hope today is the start of a long and happy life.”