Covid-19 tier 3: Cornwall wedding rearranged in three hours to beat change

Rachel and Daniel KensitFamily handout

Rachel and Daniel Kensit decided: "Let's do the whole thing tonight"

A couple rearranged their wedding in just over three hours to avoid their reception being called off due to Covid tier changes.

Rachel and Daniel Kensit, from Devon, had been due to get married near Bude, Cornwall, on New Year's Eve.

But at 15:00 GMT on 30 December they heard that the county was moving to tier three - very high alert.

They managed to have the wedding at 18:15 after people involved "stepped up to the plate", Mrs Kensit said.

'Frantic phoning'

Cornwall had been in tier two - high alert - when the government announced the change would come into force on 31 December.

Under tier two in England, wedding and civil partnership ceremonies and receptions can take place with 15 people in attendance.

However, receptions are not allowed in tier three.

Family handout

The vicar "immediately rushed" to see about bringing the wedding forward

Mrs Kensit, from Bridgerule, near Holsworthy, said they had just spent six hours decorating the reception venue next to Poundstock church, where they were due to be married, "only to hear ... our reception would be unable to happen".

She said she was initially "devastated" and considered having a reception first and the wedding the next day before deciding that "didn't feel right", and thinking: "Let's do the whole thing tonight."

She said: "I phoned and asked the vicar, who immediately rushed to the church warden to see if this was a possibility. At 16:50 we had the go-ahead to have the ceremony at 18:15 that evening."

"We frantically phoned around all our wedding party and workers, and every single person stepped up to the plate.

"The caterers changed their plans to make it happen, the florist rushed around to sort the flowers, the photographer made it just in time.

"We feel so blessed."

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