A beautiful wedding moment was captured on video when a couple celebrated their nuptials in North Carolina's Outer Banks.
Photographer Chelsea Schaefer shared a video montage with footage and snapshots from Michelle and Scott Ellermets' Sept. 7 wedding with not a single, but a double rainbow that has been seen on social media 4 million times since Sept. 14.
The Ellermets' story is so touching in part because of the couple's backstory.
Michelle Ellermets, 50, and Scott Ellermets, 59, first met back in December 2023 after the passing of their respective longtime spouses.
Michelle Ellermets was married to her husband Jonathan for over 23 years before he died of a heart attack in January 2023. Scott Ellermets had also been with his previous wife Lisa for 29 years who also died following an illness in June 2023.
At the end of the year, the Ellermets both joined a local grief group in the Washington, D.C., area where they both live and where they first connected.
"I joined Facebook in early December and a [local] widows [and] widowers website. And when I got on it, I saw that somebody was Facebook friends with my sister. It happened to be Michelle," Scott Ellermets recalled.
Scott decided to reach out and send Michelle a message. Shortly after, the two met in person.
Michelle Ellermets says Scott Ellermets is one of the "kindest" and "most thoughtful" person she had ever met and Scott Ellermets describes Michelle Ellermets as "wonderful" and "the most caring, helpful, [and] thoughtful" person. They really hit it off from the beginning.
"We were just friends at first for a while, and then the friendship just grew," Michelle Ellermets explained.
She added, "I remember telling him that I was never going to get married again. And yeah, so our friendship, just at some point along the way, became more than that -- and we fell in love."
The Ellermets realized they had a lot in common, aside from the unexpected deaths of both of their spouses. They were both parents and grandparents, shared the same interests and faith, and mostly, they loved spending time together.
"We'd go out for a very quick cup of coffee or a quick drink and discover, all of a sudden, that [after] our morning cup of coffee, the sun went down," Scott Ellermets said of their fast bond.
The Ellermets eventually decided to get married.
"At our age, when you know, why not? We don't want to waste any time. You can't take your days for granted," said Michelle Ellermets.
"Another thing that frankly, our spouses' deaths taught us is you cannot count on tomorrow," Scott Ellermets added.
The Ellermets were surrounded by family and friends at their small beach front wedding. Their special day started out with rain, but the ceremony ended with what Michelle Ellermets described as "the most bold, bright" double rainbow.
"It was like the icing on the cake and and it did seem like a blessing from God," Scott Ellermets said.
The Ellermets, who both love the beach and traveling, say they plan on maybe taking a honeymoon to Aruba eventually.
Source: GMA