US newlyweds tour Croatia after fans photobomb their wedding shoot

SPLIT, Croatia (AP) — It began with a hijacked wedding photo shoot and turned into a very unexpected but exciting trip across the world.

Ashton and Zachary Smith from Philadelphia are guests in Croatia this week after the couple accidentally celebrated their wedding in June with a crowd of joyful Croatian soccer fans during the FIFA World Cup in the United States.

The Smiths had just gotten married and came out of Philadelphia City Hall to take photos when hundreds of Croats in red-and-white chequered jerseys joined in. Photos and videos of the couple kissing among the fans became popular on social networks and paved the way for a new friendship.

“It was so crazy, we just finished our ceremony, we went outside to take some pictures in front of City Hall,” Ashton Smith recalled. “We were warned that the road was taken over but we’re like, oh, let’s just try it anyway.”

It was “the best decision that we ever could have made” despite the initial shock, she said.

“Everyone stormed us," Ashton Smith added. "At first we were like, oh my gosh I hope everyone is with us. But everyone was there, everyone was celebrating with us and it was just amazing how welcoming they were to complete strangers.”

Months later, the couple received an equally warm welcome in the Croatian town of Split, located on the Adriatic Sea coast. The Croatian National Tourist Board and the Mi Hrvati, or We Croats, fan group invited the Smiths over for a “second honeymoon.”

“I feel amazing,” Ashton said in an interview earlier this week. “We learned a lot of history about Croatia and now the vibes are immaculate.”

Ashton and Zachary joined the fans' march along the city’s waterfront ahead of Croatia’s UEFA Nations League match against Spain on Tuesday. A band played, the fans sang and the couple quickly fitted in. Later in the evening, they also attended the match.

“The fans are so energetic," Ashton said. "They brought the same energy that they did in Philly.”

Daniel Pedisic of the Mi Hrvati association said the spontaneous way Croatian fans reacted to the wedding in Philadelphia showed “the kind of people we are, warm, hospitable people.”

“We were with them that day and now we brought them to Croatia,” Pedisic added, whose association follows the team worldwide and is known for carrying a 100-meter Croatian flag.

The trip also took the Smiths to the coastal town of Sibenik and included a sailing trip and a tour of the stunning Krka National Park. On Friday, the couple will travel to the famous medieval walled city of Dubrovnik in the southern Adriatic, before ending their trip in the capital, Zagreb.

“Technically, this is our second honeymoon because we had a pre-planned one before the wedding," Ashton said. “The first one was laid back and relaxing, and this one is kind of go, go, go, and we absolutely love it.”

Zachary Smith said he had never expected to visit Croatia, which is located in southeastern Europe.

“I knew all about Croatia, where it was, the country obviously," he said. “But (I) never really thought that I would ever make it here, so it’s amazing."

Ashton and Zachary Smith pose with Croatian supporters prior to the Nations League soccer match between Croatia and Spain, in Split, Croatia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

Ashton and Zachary Smith pose with Croatian supporters prior to the Nations League soccer match between Croatia and Spain, in Split, Croatia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

Ashton and Zachary Smith pose with Croatian supporters prior to the Nations League soccer match between Croatia and Spain, in Split, Croatia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

Ashton and Zachary Smith gather with Croatian supporters prior to the Nations League soccer match between Croatia and Spain, in Split, Croatia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

Ashton and Zachary Smith gather with Croatian supporters prior to the Nations League soccer match between Croatia and Spain, in Split, Croatia, Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026. (AP Photo)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed are debating for the first time Thursday as they compete for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan, a race that has become one of the nation's most closely watched and contentious.

For Rogers, a former congressman who was unchallenged in the Aug. 4 primary, the evening debate in Grand Rapids will be his first since facing off two years ago against then-U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin in a Senate race that the Democrat won by just under 20,000 votes.

El-Sayed, a progressive and former public health official, participated in multiple primary debates against U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens before capturing the nomination by less than a percentage point and advancing to the Nov. 3 general election.

Thursday's debate began at 7 p.m. ET and is being streamed locally on WOOD TV8, an NBC affiliate station, and nationally on NewsNation.

Rogers has broken with Trump on two major issues in recent weeks. In September, Rogers said the war with Iran needed to “end quickly.” On Wednesday, he released an ad criticizing Trump’s tariffs on Canada, saying, “We know that Canada is not our enemy” and “We need to end this tariff war now.”

Early into the debate, Rogers doubled down on both. He once again said that the war in Iran needs to come to an end: “I do believe it’s going to come to an end. We need it to come to an end,” Rogers said.

Later, Rogers said that he had called the White House this week to push for a “deal” with Canada to end the tariff war.

El-Sayed opened the debate by going after Rogers, saying he had “flip flopped” and “reversed course.”

El-Sayed is working to reunite a Democratic coalition that splintered during the primary and he is trying to appeal to independents and voters who previously backed Trump. He appeared Thursday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, their first appearance since she endorsed Stevens in the primary.

El-Sayed, trailing significantly in ad spending, has crisscrossed the state for events while also sitting for interviews ranging from Fox News to The New York Times’ Ezra Klein. He has often used those appearances to go after Rogers.

“We are running to win the race. He’s running not to lose the race,” El-Sayed said of Rogers during a Tuesday interview with The Associated Press.

Rogers has held fewer public events while outside groups have spent heavily on ads.

Rogers’ campaign did not make him available for an interview before the debate. He is scheduled to appear Friday in Oakland County with Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.

President Donald Trump assailed El-Sayed in a social media post late Wednesday, referring to him as “Mohammed” and saying he “goes back to the days of the Jihad.”

“He is a RADICAL Extremist, Terrorist Sympathizer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

El-Sayed, who was born in the U.S. to Egyptian immigrant parents, responded by pointing out that the president knows his name: “He says it every day.”

“He’s not just attacking me. He’s attacking all of us,” El-Sayed wrote. “He thinks he can use my name and my faith to distract us from the suffering his policies are inflicting on us.”

This combination photo of images taken in Detroit shows Senate nominees Republican Mike Rogers, Aug. 20, 2026, left, and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, Aug. 19, 2026. (AP Photos/Paul Sancya)

FILE - Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks during a campaign rally at a coffee shop, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

The U.S. Capitol is seen Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)