At a Glance
- A bride led 22 wedding guests on a dawn hike up Guatemala’s active Pacaya volcano
- Descent became sliding, stumbling chaos caught on video
- TikTok clips topped 200,000 views in days
- Why it matters: Shows how couples are swapping formal traditions for unforgettable shared adventures
A destination wedding in Antigua, Guatemala, turned into an unexpected viral moment when bride Fey Deleon Rana convinced 22 guests to join a last-minute trek up an active volcano-and the downhill chaos became comedy gold on TikTok.
The Spark: A Pre-Wedding Trailblazer
Rana, a 33-year-old New York City product developer and fashion stylist, first hiked Pacaya volcano during a scouting trip with her fiancé. They booked the excursion at the “very last minute,” she tells News Of Los Angeles exclusively, and it instantly became the highlight of their visit. That memory seeded the idea of re-creating the experience for everyone flying in for the November 2024 celebration.
Dawn Departure
On wedding-weekend morning, the group left Antigua before sunrise. The drive wound through mountain roads, past small villages and sweeping vistas, giving guests an authentic glimpse of rural Guatemala. Upon arrival, local guides briefed the party on trail conditions and safety; then the 22 adventurers set off together.
- Breaks were built in for photos, snacks, and a pizza cooked by volcanic heat
- Several stray dogs adopted the hikers, following for food scraps and head pats
- Pace varied: some sprinted ahead, others took a slower, steadier rhythm
- A few guests tumbled on loose rocks, brushing off scrapes with laughter
Summit Celebration
Reaching the crater rim felt “incredibly rewarding,” Rana says. The group posed for photos, the volcano’s steam plumes rising behind them. For a moment, traditional wedding formalities faded; the focus shifted to shared awe and camaraderie.
The Descent: Volcano ‘Skiing’
The return route differed from the couple’s earlier hike. Instead of a rocky trail, the path was a steep slope of soft volcanic sand. Guests quickly discovered the only efficient way down was to slide-sometimes on feet, sometimes on backsides-creating a chain reaction of slips, shrieks, and belly laughs.
- Rana filmed the scene on her phone, capturing guests tumbling one after another
- Clips show bridesmaids clutching bouquets of dust, groomsmen surfing on sneakers
- Background voices alternate between “I’m okay!” and uncontrollable giggling
Social Media Explosion
Back in Antigua, Rana stitched the footage into short TikTok videos and posted them the same night. Within 72 hours the clips surpassed 200,000 views and thousands of comments.
Sample reactions:
- “Was everyone able to walk during the wedding? 😭😂”
- “Everyone just falling down one after the other is sending me 😭😭😭 – I’m sorry, hahaha.”
- Multiple users tagged partners with “We’re doing this for our wedding!”
Why It Resonates
Rana believes the appeal lies in authenticity. “It was such a unique and unexpected part of our wedding weekend,” she says. “It was genuinely funny and memorable, and I wanted to capture that moment.”
Traditional destination weddings often revolve around curated perfection; the volcano hike swapped champagne toasts for scraped knees and inside jokes.
Lasting Impact
The excursion became the celebration’s defining memory. Several guests booked tattoo appointments the next day, returning home with tiny volcano outlines inked on ankles and wrists. The couple framed a still shot of the group, dust-covered and grinning, and display it beside their formal portrait.
Key takeaways:
- Shared adventures can replace formal events without sacrificing elegance
- Authentic moments, not staged photos, generate the loudest social buzz
- A sense of humor heals minor bumps and bruises-on trails and in marriage
