A Houston couple had their wedding photos taken in front of the Hurricane Harvey damage throughout their city.
Shellie Schoellkopf and Robert Callaway’s wedding is scheduled for October 7 but they decided cancel their reception and donate what they would have spent to victims.
The backdrop of their wedding photo shoot is a gutted house with debris piles in the yard.
When Hurricane Harvey first hit on August 27, the couple looked at their guest list and realized that the storm was affecting most of the people invited.
They decided that rather than having a reception, they will donate the entire reception fund of at least $5,000 to Harvey victims.
Shellie Schoellkopf and Robert Callaway had their wedding photos taken in front of Hurricane Harvey debris after the storm tore through their hometown of Houston
The couple decided to donate money from their reception to the hurricane’s victims
The photos were taken inside a family friend’s house that the couple helped gut and clean out
‘We were just sitting outside and talking about what we wanted to do (about the wedding),’ Schoellkopf told Click 2 Houston.
‘All of our family was affected on some level. We sat down and said “We need to do something”.’
Schoellkopf said they had pushed back the wedding twice before because of timing and the fact that they’re building a house.
They didn’t want to push the date back again, so they decided to keep the ceremony and donate the reception funds.
The photo shoot is intended to serve as a lifelong reminder of where the money for the reception was going, Schoellkopf said.
The couple said they already have people in mind they plan to help financially because they have family and friends in some of the hardest-hit areas in southeast Texas.
The photos are intended to serve as a reminder of why the couple donated their reception
Their own home was not damaged but they’ve been helping friends and family affected
The couple have been together for six years. ‘He’s really incredible,’ Schoellkopf said of Callaway, who has been offering to help people rebuild via social media
The couple said they already have people in mind they plan to help financially because they have family and friends in some of the hardest-hit areas in southeast Texas
The couple’s own home didn’t flood, so they’re putting up relatives and helping gut houses whenever they can.
‘I don’t think we’re doing anything amazing,’ Schoellkopf said. ‘We’re trying to stay very humble about it.
‘We realize we’re very blessed in many ways, and we want to give back to people.’
One of the first things they did following the flood was help their close family friends clean out their home home that had taken in five feet of water.
‘There were people in golf carts and side-by-sides and four-wheelers handing out breakfast tacos, water and everything,’ said Callaway.
This inspiring show of community inspired the idea to use their wedding for a bigger cause. They even shot the wedding photos in that home.
‘The reception is forgettable and when it comes down to it, all you have are the photos and the memories that you’re able to hold onto,’ said Schoellkopf.
Bryan Anderson, their photographer, also lost his home to Harvey.
‘It takes someone special to run with that and make it something beautiful,’ said Schoellkopf.
‘We don’t just see these piles of sheetrock and belongings. We see neighbors coming over and saying: “I’ve got my walls down. What do you need?”‘
The couple has also canceled their gift registry and replaced it with a Venmo account to collect donations for Harvey relief.
In the meantime, they’re looking toward their wedding ceremony.
‘We’re really more focused on the marriage than on the wedding. What better way to start off on the right foot than this?’ Schoellkopf said.
Schoellkopf and Callaway have been together for six years.
She said her husband-to-be has been hard at work since Harvey, people on social media if they need help.
‘He’s very soft-spoken, but he’s really incredible,’ Schoellkopf said. ‘He won’t brag on himself, but I will.’