Staffordshire couple rearrange wedding before tier 4 move

Joe and Rhiannon Robertshaw brought forward their ceremony by a day so they could marry before tier four restrictions came into force

A couple rearranged their wedding in three hours so they could marry before Covid-19 restrictions came into force.

Joe Robertshaw and new wife Rhiannon, from Burton-upon-Trent, had been due to tie the knot on New Year's Eve.

But after it was announced Staffordshire would be put into tier four, they asked their vicar if he'd open the church, while family hastily travelled down from Yorkshire.

Mr Robertshaw, 26, said it was "a great way to end the year".

Under government guidelines, weddings in tier four areas must only take place "in exceptional circumstances" and with a maximum of six guests.

The couple had chosen the date of their wedding at St Giles Church in Cheadle, for the third anniversary of their first meeting.

But when the tiers were announced at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday, they would not be able to continue as planned.

The couple celebrated with seven-year-old daughter Elsie-Mae

"Within 20 minutes, we had been on the phone to the vicar, the photographer and the guests to ask them to make it to the wedding in two-and-a-half hours," Mr Robertshaw said.

Mrs Robertshaw was at work on Wednesday at Prince and Bates opticians, but was allowed to leave early for the ceremony.

Mr Robertshaw admitted it was a "bit of a push" as his family had a two-hour drive to get to the church from Halifax, West Yorkshire.

"We have always been on that border point all the way through the year, over whether it would be allowed to go ahead," he said.

"So we decided we would just do it while we could."

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They had a "quick toast in the church car park" before the attendees went their separate ways, he said.

The newlyweds hope to have a larger blessing ceremony when it is safe to do so.