Fans were in awe of the beautiful photos Julianne Hough and new husband Brooks Laich shared from their African honeymoon following their gorgeous Idaho nuptials. They first spent a relaxing few days on a private island before traveling to the Angama Mara resort in Kenya to take part in the adventurous half of their first vacation as husband and wife.
While in Kenya, they saw many different animals up close and personal and according to a new blog post on Hough’s website, she opens up about a truly frightening moment on what was supposed to be the most joyous experience of their life.
In a blog post titled “That Time We Had A Brush With Death On Our Honeymoon“, the former country star and current Dancing With The Stars judge detailed the scary scenario.
She and Laich found out the Meryl Streep and Robert Redford movie Out of Africa was filmed at their resort, so they watched it right away. Maybe it was because they were sharing the same setting as the 1985 film, but Hough and Laich fell in love with the movie.
They set out to recreate the iconic picnic scene because they could actually physically replicate it in the exact same spot it was filmed – just over the hillside. Their rangers helped them, and it was extremely beautiful. We think they did a pretty good job, don’t you?!
All of a sudden, in the middle of their romantic picnic, “a low-pitched, gut-turning growl surrounded [them].”
“Within seconds we were in survival mode,” she wrote. “We knew not to run or make any sudden movements, and Brooks grabbed the only objects we could use as weapons if we needed to protect ourselves. Unfortunately, two of those things were butter knives. For a second we thought about breaking the champagne bottle to use, but decided we’d feel awful about shattering glass all over nature. We heard the growl again, and this time it was even more terrifying. I’d never seen Brooks this scared.”
They even contemplated jumping off the cliff and hanging on a tree while waiting for someone to rescue them! She described the animal they were fearing as a “giant beast of a cat who was clearly stalking us.”
While walking fast towards safety, Hough and Laich’s rangers started yelling, “Elephant! Elephant!” to them. Confused, the married couple yelled, “No elephants! There’s a cat up there!”
Apparently, it was an elephant that was following them! They quickly learned from further research that elephants do, in fact, purr. We’re so glad they managed to escape “death by beast,” as Hough puts it. What a story to tell the kids!
Watch their wedding video below.