A couple celebrating their wedding earlier this month were photographed with not just a single but a double rainbow, and now, a TikTok post about their touching story has gone viral.
Photographer Chelsea Schaefer shared a video montage with footage and snapshots from Michelle and Scott Ellermets' Sept. 7 wedding in North Carolina's Outer Banks, and the video has been viewed nearly 4 million times since Sept. 14.
The Ellermets' story is touching the internet's collective heart in part because of the couple's backstory.
Michelle Ellermets, 50, and Scott Ellermets, 59, told "Good Morning America" they first connected in December 2023 after the deaths of their respective longtime spouses.
Michelle Ellermets was married to her previous husband Jonathan for over 23 years before he died of a heart attack in January 2023. Scott Ellermets had also been with his previous wife Lisa for 29 years before she died in June 2023 following an illness.
At the end of the year, Scott Ellermets said he joined a local grief group in the Washington, D.C., area where he and Michelle Ellermets both live.
"I joined Facebook in early December and a [local] widows [and] widowers website. And when I got on it, I saw that somebody was Facebook friends with my sister. It happened to be Michelle," Scott Ellermets recalled.
He said he decided to reach out and send her a message. Soon enough, the two met in person.
They hit it off, with Michelle Ellermets calling Scott Ellermets one of the "kindest" and "most thoughtful" people she had ever met and Scott Ellermets describing Michelle Ellermets as "wonderful" and "the most caring, helpful, [and] thoughtful" person.
"We were just friends at first for a while, and then the friendship just grew," Michelle Ellermets explained.
She added, "I remember telling him that I was never going to get married again. And yeah, so our friendship, just at some point along the way, became more than that -- and we fell in love."
The Ellermets said they quickly realized they had a lot in common, aside from the unexpected deaths of both of their spouses. They were both parents and grandparents, shared the same interests and faith, and just as importantly, they loved spending time together.
"We'd go out for a very quick cup of coffee or a quick drink and discover, all of a sudden, that [after] our morning cup of coffee, the sun went down," Scott Ellermets said of their fast bond.
Along the way, the Ellermets said they decided to get married.
"At our age, when you know, why not? We don't want to waste any time. You can't take your days for granted," said Michelle Ellermets.
"Another thing that frankly, our spouses' deaths taught us is you cannot count on tomorrow," Scott Ellermets added.
For their small beachside wedding, the Ellermets were surrounded by family and friends, and even though the special day started out with rain, the ceremony ended with what Michelle Ellermets described as "the most bold, bright" double rainbow.
"It was like the icing on the cake and and it did seem like a blessing from God," Scott Ellermets said.
The Ellermets, who share a love of the beach and traveling, say they plan on possibly taking a honeymoon to Aruba in the near future.
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