BALTIMORE | 128 | WEDDINGS
to go. Some of the groomsmen popped
into La Palapa Grill & Cantina to see if
the restaurant was safe. It was, and owner
Simon Cortes told them all to come inside.
They piled in, Rigney and Cymbor, their
guests, the band, their wedding planner, the
photographer, and the Pantry catering staff,
all wet and scared. “We survived the flood
before, we’ll survive again,” Cymbor remem-
bers Cortes saying. Tragically, it was Cortes’
friend Maryland Army National Guards-
man Sgt. Eddison Hermond who was killed
that day trying to save a woman.
Guests had grabbed a few things during
the evacuation: the wedding cake, bottles
of gin, a case of beer, and an apple crate full
of flip flops. (“That turned out to be the best
thing,” says Rigney.) They checked outside.
The weather seemed to be calming down.
“I thought we were going to be able to go
back downstairs,” remembers Rigney. One
of the band members pulled out his acoustic
guitar and began to play. “Let’s get this wed-
ding going,” said some of the guests.
With the encouragement of their friends
and family, and their officiant, Drew
Schmidt, at the ready, they decided to pro-
ceed with the ceremony then and there, albe-
it surrounded by trapped restaurant patrons.
“They had front-row seats to our wedding,”
says Rigney. The whole thing, including a
reading from her brother, was done in 15
minutes. It was 4:45. Everyone applauded.
People were generally in good spirits, Ri-
gney and Cymbor remember. But some fam-
ily members were distraught. “They were
upset for us,” says Rigney. As guests started
to realize the severity of what was still an
ongoing flood, some grew very distressed.
Feeling a bit trapped in the restaurant,
Brittingham had called 911. Cortes came
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