Ukrainian LGBT refugees hold dream wedding in UK

Yulia (left) and Tetiana have been together for 10 years

A Ukrainian LGBT couple have had their dream wedding in the UK, a year after they fled the war with Russia.

Yulia and Tetiana, who have been together for 10 years, said they had wanted to tie the knot for a long time.

However same-sex marriages and civil partnerships are not recognised in Ukraine.

The couple exchanged vows in matching T-shirts at Ripley Town Hall, in Derbyshire, in March, on what they said was a "very special day".

The couple travelled to Derbyshire, initially settling with their hosts Helen (left) and Sarah (second right)

"It was a very posh wedding," said Tetiana.

"It was the wedding of our dreams. We wanted something really little, really small, really private.

"We had our private ceremony in the mayor's office. We had our friends there and they made this day very special for us."

The couple have also moved into a new rented home in Belper.

"We rented an unfurnished flat but it is now full of things, mainly from friends," added Tetiana.

"It was so wonderful that a lot of people who knew us or have heard of us were ready to help."

'Difficult' circumstances

Yulia works part-time at a college and Tetiana said she hopes to focus on her career in the UK.

The couple previously told the BBC they had been planning their wedding for some years.

"For Russian and Ukrainian [LGBT] people, the only possibility is to go abroad to be married," Tetiana said.

"If we were told two years ago we were going to get married in Great Britain, we would have said 'wonderful'.

"But the circumstances are so difficult and so different."

The couple, who worked as translators in Kiev, said they planned to donate money to Ukraine's war effort and hope, eventually, to return to their homeland.