But then firefighters interrupted the celebration, and newlyweds Trey and Robyn Kunkel knew it wasn't a joke.
A fire Saturday night at the Radisson Penn Harris Hotel & Convention Center in East Pennsboro led to the evacuation of more than 400 guests at the complex.
"This is unbelievable," Robyn Kunkel said while standing outside. "We'll never forget this."
The Kunkels, of Mechanicsburg, were dancing with friends and family in the convention center when fire alarms began sounding and smoke started billowing from the hotel wing across the parking lot.
The blaze, which was reported about 7:15 p.m., started in the roof over a room in the hotel wing, firefighters said. The flames were contained to that area, but some of the wing's second- and third-floor rooms sustained water and smoke damage, firefighters said.
No injuries were reported.
After being evacuated, the couple and their guests watched as firefighters put out the burning roof.
When the Kunkels decided to return to their reception, they found the electricity had been shut off. So they finished the celebration outside.
The newlyweds posed for pictures on a fire engine wearing firefighters' helmets. They kissed on the back of a fire truck while family and friends snapped pictures.
