One lucky bride didn’t feel so lucky the day of her wedding when the elevator she was riding in from the wedding to the reception left her stranded in between floors of The Providence Biltmore Hotel in Rhode Island. Melissa McNamara Rodger says she knew something was wrong when she heard an odd noise and then the elevator lurched to a stop.

The 32-year-old bride had just gotten married and was heading to her wedding reception. She was on the elevator with her two wedding planners and her bridesmaids were waiting patiently for her arrival on the 18th floor. As soon as the elevator stopped moving, the trio immediately knew something wasn’t right. They contacted the receptionist of the hotel, who then contacted the local fire department for assistance.

Fire services were able to open the door to the elevator to check on its occupants, who were frustrated, but fine. They weren’t, however, able to move the elevator to one floor of the building so the bride and her friends could be free. That would take the work of the elevator company who was on its way, but hadn’t yet arrived. It had taken 30 minutes just to get the door opened. How much longer would it take to get the bride free from the elevator?

In the meantime, the bride became increasingly worried that she wasn’t going to make it to her own wedding reception. Her groom, Justin, had been notified that his new bride was stuck inside an elevator and came to check on her since he was concerned for Melissa’s well-being and safety. Once he saw the men working to free her, he knew she would be safe, but was worried about how long it would take to free her.

Melissa says after the initial panic wore off, she actually enjoyed the things she could see while trapped on the elevator. By stretching up high on her feet, she could see her family and Justin on the 18th floor and speak to the fire chief about what was happening and what to expect with the rescue. If she crouched down low to the floor, she could visit with hotels guests that were enjoying cocktail hour on the 17th floor. One gracious and quick-thinking guest even handed Melissa a glass of champagne to sip on while she waited to be rescued!

The elevator company finally arrived and immediately went to work to complete the rescue of the anxious bride. The crew worked to first stabilize the lift, then had to reboot the elevator, and then turn it back on. The doors of the elevator shut again, and Melissa’s worries surfaced once again. This time, however, the doors opened, and the elevator was on one floor only.

The occupational therapist and her wedding planners were finally free. The bride was greeted by her groom who handed her another glass of champagne so she could actually enjoy cocktail hour at the hotel, and finally make it to their waiting guests at their wedding reception. Justin carried her to the reception where she was greeted by cheering guests ready to get the party started.

Kudos to this bride for staying calm through the stressful ordeal and congratulations to the newly wedded couple!