WILLIAMSBURG, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A New York City couple, originally from North Carolina, has had to postpone their wedding due to the devastation from Hurricane Helene.
Williamsburg residents Molly Frye and Joel Brown met a few years ago while connecting over their home state.
More Local News “Being from the same area in North Carolina that kind of bonded us,” said Frye.
Brown, a partner and bartender at the Whiskey Annex in Brooklyn, moved to New York from a small town in North Carolina in 1999. Frye, a flight attendant, did the same in 2017.
The two had a small back porch wedding last year but their big wedding was planned in Fletcher, North Carolina, for Oct 19.
“A hopeful celebration to wrap up the year and to bring all our loved ones together,” said Frye.
Hurricane Helene quickly changed that.
“They got hit really hard. Lost a lot of power,” said Brown. “There’s still a lot of people who don’t have water so it’s a disaster.”
Donate today to help Red Cross efforts across 10 states As news of the devastation poured in, the couple quickly started reaching out to their vendors. The road to their venue has been damaged and some vendors have yet to get back to them.
“The hotel we had our booking at reached out to us and said they had to use our rooms for first responders and I think that’s when our brains clicked, and we thought a wedding is not a priority with these people getting back on their feet,” said Frye. “Their homes are destroyed: the power is out the water is out.”
The two say they immediately knew they had to do something.
“Obvious to us we have to help this community instead of be a burden and bring in 200 outsiders so we thought we’re going to postpone our wedding,” said Brown.
Donate to Red Cross response efforts for Hurricane Helene The couple is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow night at the Whiskey Annex starting at 6 p.m. All of the tips and part of the proceeds will go to hurricane relief.
“Seeing the generosity of the vendors and the communities there and what they’re doing for each other we just wanted to give back to them and just to help,” said Frye.
The two plan to travel back to North Carolina next week to deliver the donations in person.
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