Nothing was going to stop Zanele Ndlovu from going down the aisle–not even a ferocious crocodile.

Ndlovu wed husband Jamie Fox five days after a crocodile tore her arm from her body, reports The Telegraph.

The newlyweds were with a group of canoeists going down a river in Zimbabwe when the animal bit the inflatable boat. The other passengers were able to escape unscathed, but the crocodile had a firm grip on Ndlovu’s arm.

She says her husband was thrown from the canoe, but later swam over to save her.

“Jamie swam over to where I was struggling with the crocodile that was trying to pull me to the bottom of the river, and grabbed my waist and with the other hand he rained blows down on the crocodile,” she said.

“The pain was excruciating, but Jamie was by my side, and I summoned the strength to fight through it, and although he was in shock he calmed me down.”

Fox says he thought it was all a prank at first, but when he realized it wasn’t, he sprang into action.

“It is a miracle she is here there is no other way to explain it. I thought at first it was a joke and it took about five seconds to see it was actually real,” he explained.

“It just jumped from the water and grabbed her arm, and she was pulled one side out of the boat and I fell out on the other. The crocodile eventually let go.”

The crocodile released Ndlovu while doing a “death roll,” which involves the animal clamping onto prey and rotating its body to pull them into the water.

Tour guides applied a tourniquet to Ndlovu’s arm, and she was eventually airlifted to a local hospital.

Despite the seriousness of the bride’s injuries, the couple had no plans to cancel their wedding. Instead, they switched the venue to the hospital’s chapel.

“I spent a lot of time preparing for my wedding day. I didn’t know that fate would have me being wed in a hospital chapel with one limb missing,” said Ndlovu.

“But in all this I am not complaining, and my wedding was the best and I am so happy we proceeded despite all the drama, and I have a wonderful husband."

The groom said the incident is a testament of their wedding vows.

“I never even at one point thought of calling off the wedding. I love her even more, and this incident made me feel even more the deep feeling behind our vows,” said Fox. “For better or worse, in sickness and in health, that’s just how it’s going to be."

The couple dated for 18 months before Fox proposed on Valentine’s Day. The couple plans to get Ndlovu a visa so they can settle in the United Kingdom, Fox’s home country.

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