NEW YORK: A New York City fire chaplain who responded to a crane collapse in Manhattan found herself helping in a way she never expected - performing an impromptu wedding ceremony.

New York Fire Department Chaplain Ann Kansfield had rushed to the collapse scene in Lower Manhattan Friday morning when she stumbled upon a shivering bride who was standing in the snow in her white gown.

WABC-TV reports 25-year-old Nesh Pillay had just finished having her hair styled when the crane crashed down, killing a pedestrian and landing across several cars.

Pillay and her soon-to-be-husband were to be married during a ceremony at City Hall. But when the collapse derailed their plans, Kansfield offered to marry the couple. They exchanged their vows on the steps of a nearby building.

— AP