After a powerful tornado swept away a couple's wedding photos, they managed to reunite with them 100 miles away. A severe storm that charged through Missouri spawned a myriad of tornados, one of them tearing through these newlyweds' home.
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Trendall and Darby Russom were both keeping an eye on the oncoming storm as it swept through their area. Darby was alone in their Harviell home, watching the news' tornado warnings while on the phone with her husband.
Couple Finds Wedding Photos Swept Away By Destructive Tornado
"They said that there was a tornado on the ground heading toward Fairdealing, and we were really like a minute (away)," said Darby to FOX Weather, per the New York Post. The wife took swift action by grabbing their dog and fleeing to the basement for safety.
Darby described how she "could feel the whole house shaking" as the tornado passed over their neighborhood. Soon enough, the power went out while dust and wind started to collect in the basement.
By the next day, they looked over the immense damage from the tornado. It had decimated most of their home, and insurance adjusters called their house a total loss. The twister managed to rip off their roof, and it "took everything that was in our attic," said Darby.
One of the most precious items in their attic was their wedding photo album. "I had a box of stuff from our wedding," she continued. "So like my wedding veil, my bouquet our vow books. Those are things that can't be replaced."
Luck was on their side though, as someone managed to find the couple's water-damaged photos in Perryville. The owners of Hemman Winery, located two hours north, managed to find the photos.
In hopes of finding their owners, they posted the images on
Facebook. Other than those initial photos, there was another page of cherished wedding photos someone found in Marble Hill. This town is roughly in between their home and Perryville, showing the direction that the tornado headed in.The wife was in shock after finding out that her wedding photos were mostly in tact, despite having some tears. "I never expected to ever find anything that we lost, and seeing how far it went was really amazing," she said.
Despite the huge loss, the Russoms were grateful just to have some memories to keep. Darby even looked back fondly on her wedding day in November 2023 that took place in Willow Springs. "It was outside in November, and it was actually a beautiful day," she recalled. "It felt amazing."
