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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah couple barely made it to their wedding reception just outside of Washington, D.C., this week after multiple flight delays and cancellations.
Gabbie and Chandler Jensen were set to fly out of Salt Lake International Airport on Sunday, but their Southwest Airlines flight to Dallas was delayed and they eventually took off Monday morning.
"Our connecting flight in Dallas, when we got to the airport, was delayed, and then it kept getting delayed," Chandler explained. "Sure enough, we got the notification that it was canceled."
The couple was desperate to make it to their Thursday wedding reception on time. They tried booking another flight through different airlines but were not able to secure a flight that would get them to their destination action on time.
"We went over our options of how we were going to get back to D.C. and decided that we would just make the drive," Gabbie said. "It was a 19-hour drive over two days."
Unfortunately, the groom's siblings and parents were not able to make it to the reception. Their United Airlines flights were canceled.
"It was three in the morning when our flight got canceled," said Kimberly Jensen, the groom's mother. "We had all planned this as a family. It's been planned for months. We've had tickets for months."
The Jensens called the airlines to try and rebook a flight but said there was no availability for a party of five until Thursday evening after the reception was scheduled to end.
"When we heard that, that's when the reality hit," Monte Jensen said. "It is heartbreaking, us being on the West Coast and they are on the East Coast."
The Jensen family is heartbroken they were not able to be at Thursday's reception but are grateful they were able to attend the couple's Utah wedding reception in November.
