Ali Riley He cannot forget his wedding day. The reasons for that have nothing to do with her vows.
Five days before Riley was to be married in Ventura County, her parents were evicted from her childhood home in Pacific Palisades. She must have double-checked the details with the caterer and the florist, she was tracking a progress. Monster Fire At mid-afternoon she moved from the horizon to her old surroundings.
Three hours after John Riley and Bev Low left the home they'd lived in for more than four decades, the house was gone — like all the others on Kagawa Street, once an elegant lane of spacious homes, but now a place of only memories. .
“During the wedding, we knew,” Lowe said of the fate of his home.
Bride Ali Riley, president of Angel City FC, walks down the aisle with her father, John Riley, and mother, Bev Lowe.
(Kiana Scott Photography/Kiana Scott Photography)
However, much of what the fire took physically, the marriage gave back emotionally and spiritually.
“When the sad news was going around, our neighbors said, 'Well, at least we're getting married,'” Ali Riley added. “I asked my mom if they were going to be really sad and she said, ‘Oh, we need this.’ We had a lot of people who lost everything in borrowed clothes and mismatched shoes.
“Everybody was pumped up,” John Riley added. “There were some people there who lost their homes. [But] Everyone was very happy. It helped a lot. It really did.”
Ali Riley is one of the world's most decorated women's footballers, having played in five World Cups and captained the national team. New Zealand – His father's birthplace – 50 times feat. Plays in the NWSL Angel CitySo she was resilient for a long time and nothing else.
However, thinking about her marriage to former Swedish footballer Lukas Nilsson brings tears of both joy and sadness a week later.
“We sent Save the Dates in May. So we've been planning for a while,” he said. “And a lot of people turned up. It just felt like this little oasis in the middle of hell.
“Yes, everything was… perfect.”
The night before the fire, Canoka Park resident Ali Riley had driven up the hill to have dinner with her parents, then spent part of the night overlooking the ocean on top of the house. About 12 hours later, his parents' cell phones lit up with evacuation orders.
“We've done this before, so we've been through the practice,” Lowe said.
Angel City captain bride Ali Riley and groom Lukas Nilsson didn't know how many people might attend their wedding after wildfires destroyed her parents' home and the community she grew up in.
(Kiana Scott Photography/Kiana Scott Photography)
But those other times it's just that: a practice; The flames didn't really get close and the pair were able to quickly turn around. As Lowe and her husband packed this time, they expected the same. The fire breaks were far away and the wind was blowing in the other direction. Their street is lined with concrete and asphalt, not tall trees and dry brush.
“We visited some friends in Manhattan Beach. You can see the clouds surrounding it,” said John Riley. “I think Ali and Bev immediately it went away. I was hopeful for a few days.
A short exit in the past will not end this time. A friend who sneaked back into the neighborhood in the days after the fire shared a video showing the darkened mess where the house once stood, where the Relays hoped they would return. But no time for the wall.
“We were more worried about everyone, worried or not [the wedding] was going We can focus on something other than ourselves,” Lowe said.
“There's no point in looking back. The house is gone. The sad thing is the contents. But we were able to get rid of a lot of precious things.
Asked how she was able to maintain such a clear perspective during such a dark time, Lowe said marriage helped.
“And there's good insurance,” he added.
Angel City captain Ali Riley and former Swedish soccer player Lukas Nilsson dance at their wedding, which went ahead despite wildfires affecting many of their guests.
(Kiana Scott Photography/Kiana Scott Photography)
However, the planned reception at the Palisades had to be cancelled, new accommodation had to be found for guests arriving from New Zealand, and a hundred and one things that had already been arranged had to be changed. The wedding went off without a hitch, even though some guests wore blue jeans and bedroom slippers instead of suits and dress shoes.
The bride and groom then returned to Ali Riley's apartment in Canoga Park, where they watched nervously as smoke from the Palisades Fire began to threaten the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains and the San Fernando Valley.
“We feel very lucky,” said Ali Riley, who was forced to evacuate a team hotel by fire during the last Women's World Cup in New Zealand. “To connect with our community and give them love, we wanted to have purpose and help and make a positive impact. It was very logistical and a bit difficult, but it's great that everything worked out.
“Our marriage was tested by fire and we survived,” she added. “So I guess we'll have a long marriage.”
