“It was a good omen.”
At a wedding, uninvited guests are typically unwelcome, but for Rachel Lobb, an unexpected surprise transformed her special day into an unforgettable experience.
While guests were enjoying the cocktail hour following the ceremony, someone spotted a tiny turtle head peeking out from the ground. Then another emerged, and before long, 30 baby snapping turtles were joining the celebration. As summer comes to a close, snapping turtles bury their eggs in underground nests, with the babies hatching in the fall. Lobb’s wedding took place in September, right during hatching season, allowing her to witness this remarkable moment as the turtles broke free from their eggs and made their way toward the sunlight.
The venue’s owner informed Lobb that he had seen snapping turtle hatchlings before, but never in the midst of a wedding celebration. “We were super excited,” Lobb shared with The Dodo. Once the turtles hatched, they instinctively sought the nearest body of water. However, with a bustling party surrounding them, the wedding guests sprang into action to ensure the tiny creatures made their journey safely, avoiding any accidental foot traffic.
Guests carefully gathered the baby turtles and transported them to a nearby river, giving everyone a chance to marvel at the adorable little reptiles up close. Lobb and her husband even took a moment to snap a few photos with their unexpected guests before helping them on their way. “I was shocked,” Lobb exclaimed. “I didn’t realize they were that small. They were so tiny in our hands.”
To Lobb’s delight, none of her guests seemed bothered by the wedding’s impromptu turtle interlude; in fact, they relished the experience. “All of our guests were really excited about it,” she said. “It was a truly unique occurrence.” Each of the tiny turtles reached the river safely, and Lobb and her husband resumed their wedding festivities.
“Many guests remarked that it felt like a good omen,” Lobb noted. “It must be good luck for something like this to happen on our wedding day.” Meeting baby snapping turtles will undoubtedly be a cherished memory for the newlyweds, forever captured in their wedding album. “It’s something we’ll never forget, for sure,” Lobb reflected.