For Lupe Quijano, it was supposed to be a moment of pure bliss after she said "I do" and married Luis Quijano. But as the Quijanos made their way down the aisle after saying their vows, Lupe Quijano's white wedding dress suddenly started going up in flames.
A video clip shared on Instagram by one of the couple's vendors, artist Shauna Bailey, shows feet-long flames erupting at the foot of Lupe Quijano's dress and guests rushing toward the bride and groom to douse the flames and keep the fire from spreading.
"I didn't know anything that was going on until we stopped kissing and I looked up and I saw two of my friends running towards me and I turned back to look to see what was going on and that's when I noticed that my veil and my dress had caught fire," Lupe Quijano recalled to "Good Morning America."
Albert Rodriguez, Lupe Quijano's brother-in-law, was the couple's officiant and said all was going as planned until he heard someone scream.
"It was a beautiful moment but I started to notice there was a little too much chaos going on," Rodriguez said. "I heard a scream. It didn't sound like a cheer. It sounded more like a panic."
The family believe the unexpected blaze was caused after guests threw paper streamers at the happy couple, which then ignited as they fell onto decorative vessels placed along the aisle that contained floating candles and water.
"We kept telling them, 'Please stop throwing the streamers.' This was all happening from the front to the center of the aisle," Rodriguez said. "It was the people at the back that still hadn't really seen what's going on, so the streamers kept getting thrown. They were the items catching fire."
While some couples like the Quijanos aim for simple candle decor, others have been embracing flashier spectacles, including bold fireworks for their weddings.
"Weddings are typically a once in a lifetime occasion, and people want to go big or go home, and so what's bigger than fireworks or pyrotechnics? You're putting on a show," wedding planner Jove Meyer told "GMA." "This is maybe the biggest show you're going to put on in your life."
The Quijanos said they hope their wedding mishap can serve as a cautionary tale, and they feel grateful several of their guests happened to be military personnel and firefighters.
"We don't think about 'Oh, we gotta invite military, firemen, a seamstress,' it just happens that those are the immediate people in our lives," Lupe Quijano said. "They literally just jumped into action to save everyone in the situation. So, I don't know, it kind of makes me feel really loved."
Experts say in order to avoid the fire department getting called on your big day, couples and families should avoid placing candles near flammable surfaces and children. For a safer option, experts suggest trying flameless candles for a similar but less dangerous effect.