NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Hurricane Ian is forcing travelers to cancel or reschedule trips to the Sunshine state.
Nashville couple Jay Allen and Kylie Morgan were scheduled to be married this weekend in Fort Myers Beach, but they made the tough call to reschedule.
It wasn’t an easy decision because the couple has been planning their dream wedding for the last year and a half. In fact, the ceremony was supposed to be the pinnacle of these good things that recently happened in the couple’s life.
The week prior, Jay Allen made a debut on a popular reality singing competition show and passed through the auditions on to the next rounds.
Allen has also been celebrating nearly 8 years of being with his fiancé Kylie Morgan, who is a country artist here in Music City.
The couple made the tough call to reschedule after new reports show the area is expected to get up to 16 feet of storm surge and be hit with strong wind gusts.
Rescheduling hasn’t been the easiest task, but they understand life can throw you curveballs. Allen said it's all about how you respond to them.
"We're going to respond by sending prayers and love that way as much as we can. We know weddings can be moved; unfortunately, homes and businesses can’t," Allen explained.
Allen and Morgan chose Florida as their wedding destination because it’s a special place for them, and many of their close friends live there.
Allen said most of the people they know evacuated, but some decided to ride out the storm.
“At the end of the day, nothing changes. I love you, and you love me. We’re safe, and all we can do is hold on to those positive thoughts and know there will be a day in a couple of months when we will get to have this ceremony," Allen said.
He’s thinking they will probably reschedule the wedding for next year.
Allen has been in contact with the wedding planner to sort out the details of rescheduling everything. Their planner is a friend and is dealing with the impacts of Hurricane Ian.
Allen said thankfully, the contracts and insurance will make rescheduling a little less stressful.
Luxury Travel Advisor Amberley Dough with Nashville Luxury Travel thinks it's important to protect your trips and vacation with some type of insurance.
"If you’re traveling during hurricane season, just get the insurance from the get-go because once that storm is named, it’s nearly impossible to find an insurance company that will cover that," Dough said.
Dough and her colleagues aren’t in the business of selling travel insurance, but they have an idea of the benefits of protecting your trips.
"It's a case-by-case basis. You file a claim, you review it, and they look at the policy that you purchased to see what’s covered and what’s not," Nashville Luxury Travel advisor Kim Flores said.
Allen's main concern is the people of Florida. He's asking everyone to send their positive thoughts and prayers.
