Hurricane nearly ruined their wedding, but strangers from Rock Hill saved the day

Move over, Hurricane Matthew. Hurricane Hord is here to party.

Rock Hill natives Tyler Hord and Samantha Berinsky will hold their wedding Saturday evening at the City Club in on E. Main St. after being forced to evacuate Charleston earlier this week.

The incoming hurricane, expected to be a Category 4 storm when it makes landfall in Florida, nearly ruined what was meant to be a ceremony two years in the making on the South Carolina coast.

Then, the kindness of a high school reunion group helped save the day for the bride and groom.

“I’ve never been in such an emotional roller-coaster,” said Berinsky, who met Hord when the two studied at the College of Charleston. “At the beginning of the day, I’m crying because we were having to call it off and at the end of the day, saying ‘Everyone is being so nice to me!’”

The pair spent months prepping for a wedding at a country club in the Charleston/Mt. Pleasant area after graduation. However, as the date grew closer, Berinsky and Hord were bombarded with concerned texts and phone calls from guests worried about the impending storm.

When South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called Tuesday for the evacuation of 1.1 million coastal residents ahead of Matthew, Berinsky began to lose hope.

Matron of honor Kathryn Klaos and maid of honor Jenna Berinsky immediately went to work, researching new options in the Upstate, away from the bulk of the storm.

“Everyone was trying to look at the positives and move on, and I was in total meltdown mode,” said Berinsky, a Northwestern High aluma.

Margie Bennett, the event planner for the City Club, recalls receiving a “desperate call” by the party, hoping for any word of an open venue to host the ceremony.

Bennett had already booked a reunion party with the Rock Hill High School Class of 1991. So, she called the committee and asked whether they’d be willing to give up the room.

“They didn’t even hesitate,” Bennett said. “They said, ‘You tell that bride that she is going to have a wedding in Rock Hill.’ I was in tears at that point.”

Within 12 hours, the catering had been arranged, Berinsky’s parents had met with Bennett to arrange the decorations and the wedding was no longer in danger.

Berinsky said she wanted to hug every one of the Rock Hill reunion class. The group, which numbered over 100 people, were more than happy to let their space go to a more pressing cause, according to Bennett.

A small group from the wedding party took part in a walkthrough midday Thursday, and said they were thrilled with the venue. And nearly all of the wedding’s 200 guests will still be able to attend this weekend, Berinsky said.

“It’s as smooth a transition as we could hope for, given the circumstances,” said Hord, a South Pointe High alumnus. “Everything switched over, there was no adjustment of the schedules. It was everything we could hope for.”

And the City Club even has an outdoor space, just in case the weather decides to hold up for a little while.

Berinsky and Hord said they were overwhelmed by their family and friend’s ability to rally around the wedding.

“It’s a testament to everyone around us,” she said. “You learn a lot more than you think you would. We realized how many people are there for you.”

This story was originally published October 6, 2016 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Hurricane nearly ruined their wedding, but strangers from Rock Hill saved the day."