Bay Area residents in Hawaii for wedding recount missile scare

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Before baggage claim, the Bavoukian's and Greg Uhrik had never met. Turns out they both attended the same weekend wedding in Hawaii and both survived a false alarm they'll never forget.

TIMELINE: Hawaii false alarm missile scare

"I'm just glad that we're alive," said Uhrik.

Saturday, people in Hawaii received the alert on their phones.

"It said ballistic missile incoming this is not a test. I kind of got chills and I've never had a feeling like that, I was like this is real," said

Uhrik.

"We looked outside the window, people were running for their lives," said Guy Bavoukian.

"I googled how long does it take a missile to land," said Annie Bavoukian.

Thirty-eight minutes later, a retraction went out. Uhrik says afterwards he had the best day of his life.

RELATED: Newlyweds from San Francisco rattled by Hawaii missile alert

"Went and got a drink, played golf," said Uhrik.

Tony Lee, who splits his time between Waikiki and San Francisco made a similar decision. He was on the beach when he got the alert and

decided to stay right there.

"I just figured if you're going to meet your end, standing next to the beach looking at the beautiful scenery is probably the best place to

be," said Lee.

Officials say human error is to blame for the mistake. The officer responsible for the warning has been re-assigned to a new post.

"I'm just amazed that it took so long, there has to be some changes to the system," said Lee.

RELATED: Hawaii emergency officials say alert of ballistic missile threat was a mistake

State officials say they are suspending tests of the alert system until an investigation is complete. It was an unforgettable weekend for residents, visitors and at least one pair of newlyweds.

Annie Bavoukian recounted the speech her nephew gave at his wedding. "He said he felt so bad that he brought 140 people to Hawaii to die," she said.