It’s a whirlwind romance — literally.
A pair of adrenaline junkie storm chasers got engaged Sunday afternoon as an EF-3 tornado bore down in the distance in an “absolutely incredible” proposal.
The storm chasing lovebirds were following tornadoes during a rash of violent weather in South Dakota when Bryce Shelton got down on one knee and popped the question with the “perfect tornado” swirling in the background.
“It was the most beautiful tornado I’ve ever seen in my life,” storm chasing bride-to-be Paige Berdomas recalled.
Shelton’s girlfriend’s face beamed (behind her safety goggles) with happiness and she said yes, with a twister looming in the distance.
“It was absolutely incredible,” Berdomas said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better proposal.”
A picture posted on X recreates the moment the storm chasers cemented their whirlwind romance while a real whirlwind raged behind them.
“How on earth could this day ever be topped. Experienced this in South Dakota with the love of my life and now FIANCE as he proposed in the most epic way imaginable. Cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you @BryceShelton01,” Berdomas added in a social media post.
It was a fitting backdrop to their love.
The two storm chasers were brought together by their shared passion for intense weather. First they chased them as friends, then, once their respective relationships ended, as a couple.
“Our chasing style is similar and we like interacting with other people on YouTube,” Berdomas told People.
They had been dating for more than a year chasing tornados together when Shelton decided he would propose. Shelton told FOX Weather that he had been planning on asking Berdomas to marry him for nearly 5 months.
Despite spending an inordinate amount of time together, he had managed to keep the engagement ring in his pocket a secret for three weeks, according to FOX Weather
Shelton said he had carried the ring with him, waiting for the right moment and it finally presented itself Sunday in a maelstrom of wicked weather.
“I’ve been waiting for 18 weeks now, just for the perfect opportunity,” Shelton told People. “I wanted to do it in South Dakota in front of a photogenic tornado, because South Dakota is our favorite state, both of us. And it just worked out perfect.”
The picture they posted is one they took a short while after the official proposal. They met up with a storm chasing friend Brandon Copic who suggested they take a nicer picture to commemorate the big day.
“Later on, the most photogenic tornado ever came down,” Berdomas said. “We were in the tornado when it first dropped down. We got very close. Brandon’s in front and he pulls up and runs over and he’s like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to get a better picture.’”
