Celebrating 10 years of marriage after tying the knot during Hurricane Ike

SPRING, Texas (FOX 26) - It has been ten years since Hurricane Ike slammed the Houston area and one couple is actually celebrating that day.

As Ike stormed in with winds whipping and rain torturing everything it touched on Sept. 13, 2008, Bryan Sims had a bright idea.

"The eye was rolling in and...might as well," recalls Bryan. "It was a full moon. It was the 13th and there was a hurricane."

"Everyone is hunkering down and generators are going and power's going in and out and he says, 'Well, get up. We're going to get married!,' and I said, "No way!," describes Chantel Sims, Bryan's wife.

Bryan wanted to make his fiance his wife, even if a hurricane was hammering all of Houston.

"The judge we had set up to officiate the wedding had left town," explains Bryan. "So we had a marriage license that had a limited amount of days on it and we were running out."

Bryan secured a pastor.

"I contacted a church, Guadalajaran Ministries, that's next to my business off of Kuykendahl and fortunately, he was available," remembers Bryan.

There was a minor setback. The minister didn't speak a syllable of English.

"Well, there was a translator there," says Chantel.

Sticking with the 'strange' theme, both the pastor and the translator were named Jose Cruz. Photos snapped just after the three-minute-long ceremony show the blushing bride wore a pink t-shirt and jeans. As for Bryan, he wore the best Harley Davidson pullover that money could buy.

The wedding photographer?

"Of course back then, we only had our flip phones because this is ten years ago," adds Chantel.

On their tenth wedding anniversary as most people in Houston recall a day of destruction, Bryan and Chantel reminisce about one of the best days of their lives. Their marriage may have begun in a bizarre manner, but they did learn from the wedding experience.

"Be prepared for anything and go with the flow because the most important thing is that you end up getting married," says Chantel.

Happy 10th anniversary to Mr. and Mrs. Sims!