This Iowa City couple sheltered inside a wine cellar with their guests after their wedding

It’d be easy to assume that the wedding party for Nathan and Emily Armstrong was standing in Walker Homestead’s wine cellar for a tasting event on the evening of March 31.

But the celebration moved downstairs not by choice.

Storms that spawned at least 16 tornadoes swept across Iowa last Friday, the Des Moines Register reported, causing destruction in Johnson County, largely in Coralville and Hills.

In its path was Walker Homestead, the event center owned by Kristy and Bob Walker situated on an 85-acre farm in Iowa City.

And there were the Armstrongs, their nearly 60 guests and less than a dozen staff, all in the cellar as the storms worsened above them.

“I was down there with friends and family and I just had a good time talking with everyone and hanging out,” Nathan Armstrong said. “The only bad thoughts that crossed my mind once the building shook a little bit and it was getting really windy up there, I was like, ‘I might walk upstairs and there might not be a Walker Homestead anymore. (I) might have to send everyone home.’”

‘There was nowhere safer in the world than that room'

The Armstrongs knew the forecast called for thunderstorms and possible tornadoes on the day of their wedding as it approached.

Day of, Nathan Armstrong, who is a line cook for Walker Homestead, said he remained optimistic, though they did move the wedding ceremony inside out of precaution. The couple, who lives in Coralville, also brought their two dogs with them to the wedding in case of an emergency.

Diana Giles, hospitality manager for Walker Homestead, said she and staff had prepared for the possibility of storms since the day started by moving furniture on the property to safeguard it from the possible strong winds and Kristy Walker purchasing extra flashlights and blankets.

During the wedding's cocktail hour, phones began receiving alerts about a tornado warning. Then came the loud sirens.

Giles, guests and staff made their way to the 36-by-57-foot cellar, save for a few storm watchers. Blankets were handed to guests because the cellar was cooler, and a pitcher of beer was available for guests to keep the celebrations going. Giles brought her laptop so that people could watch the news.

“We just hung out down there. We did get some eyes on some of the funnel happening,” Giles said. “Right after we saw the funnel, we lost power pretty much right away. We sheltered for 45 minutes, an hour, probably, down there.”

Harriet and Dave Reynolds, Nathan Armstrong’s grandparents, were some of the guests at the Friday wedding.

“You could hear the wind,” Harriet Reynolds said. “You could hear it coming.”

When they could see the funnel cloud, Kristy Walker guided all the guests into the 12-by-27-feet cold storage cement room as an added precaution.

“You were in a cement room inside a cement room… there was nowhere safer in the world than that room,” she said.

Reynolds said she was impressed by how calm staff were as they were directed into the cellar.

“It did run through my mind, here we are in the dark and we know a tornado was right there and here's our entire family in this one room and it did give me a minute to think about that,” she said. “And I thought, ‘Well, I don't have to worry. I know where everybody is.”

More:University of Iowa research lab in Coralville destroyed in March 31 tornado

Despite no electricity or running water, the wedding continued

Walker Homestead wasn't damaged by Friday's storms, but properties nearby were.

Walker wasn’t thinking about the state of the property as the wedding party and staff sheltered in the cellar. She was concerned with making her guests feel comfortable and later how to feed everyone without electricity and running water.

When guests finally emerged upstairs, they were greeted by a double rainbow, she said.

Armstrong, grateful that he and Emily were able to get married, had already made amends if the wedding couldn’t continue.

But Giles, the Walkers, chef Terry Shane — who was down two cooks, Armstrong and one of his groomsmen — and the staff at Walker Homestead weren’t going to let that happen.

They used Walker Homestead’s woodfire oven to cook the steak and shrimp. Other sides had already been prepared and just needed to be reheated to serve.

“When I saw them heating up that pizza oven, I said to Dave, ‘Maybe we'll just have pizza.' I didn't know what they were going to (do),” Reynolds said. “I couldn't imagine that they were going to be able to feed us steak and potatoes and vegetables and shrimp.”

That was in addition to gluten-free and vegetarian meals Shane had to prepare.

“(Shane) was very dedicated and everything showed up as if he had power and there was nothing wrong,” Nathan Armstrong said. “It was plated perfectly. He’s a man of his craft.”

According to Nathan Armstrong, it was some of best food he’s ever had.

“I walked away such a happy man with how everything turned out,” Nathan Armstrong said.

As it grew dark, Bob Walker positioned and turned on the lights to his tractor to emit some powerful beams for the guests out on the dance floor. Inside, candles were lit to provide additional illumination all around the venue, including inside the bathrooms. Music was played off a Bluetooth speaker.

He’d dashed to his daughter’s home earlier to fill up 250 gallons of water so that people could wash their hands and have flushable toilets.

“It really, strangely enough, seemed like any other wedding… It felt hectic, but it also just felt fun like any other kind of celebration,” Giles said.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or 319-519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.