Coronavirus: Couple rearrange wedding to beat England lockdown

Jo Loosemore, 33, and Matt Goffin, 37, had been due to marry in Devon on 14 November but moved the ceremony to the Cambridgeshire village where they live with their son, Rupert

A couple rearranged their wedding at just 24 hours notice to ensure they tied the knot before England goes into its second coronavirus lockdown.

Jo Loosemore, 33, and Matt Goffin, 37, were due to marry on 14 November, but after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement on Saturday they knew they had to act fast.

On Sunday they got hitched at Church of St Martin in Witcham, Cambridgeshire.

New government measures are due to come into force in England on Thursday.

The changes mean weddings and civil partnership ceremonies will only be permitted in "exceptional circumstances".

Biomedical scientist Mr Goffin said their wedding had always been planned for 14 November, in Devon, but was originally designed with 200 guests in mind.

Under coronavirus restrictions already in place, no more than 15 people can attend any marriage or civil partnership ceremony in England.

The couple said they had already had to change their plans a number of times in light of the coronavirus pandemic

Their Devon venue had been chosen due to its proximity to the bride's parents' home, but in a logistical switch they moved the ceremony to Witcham, where they live with their eight-month-old son Rupert.

'Be proactive'

Veterinary nurse Mrs Goffin, said: "I was having a shower on Saturday morning and I heard about the new news coming out so I just thought, 'Well I'll see if we can get it done this weekend'.

"I thought I can either let this get us down and we can get stressed having to rearrange it for the 100th time or I can be proactive and try and be positive about it and do something about it."

She said it was a "hectic" weekend but they managed to arrange things with the help of their local reverend, Mary Hancock, who was "absolutely brilliant".

The planned morning church service was replaced by the wedding ceremony and scores of people chipped into help.

An appeal was put on the village's Facebook page, leading to offers from musicians, with friends and family also helping out.