Wedding plans in chaos due to snow

A couple's wedding plans have been thrown into disarray because of the severe weather gripping the UK.

Andrew Johnson said his English fiancé was distraught after a flight due to carry her parents and bridesmaids to Northern Ireland was cancelled.

Mr Johnson is due to marry Katie Greenacre in Ballymena, County Antrim, at 13:30 GMT on Sunday.

Their bridesmaids will not make the wedding. The bride's parents are trying to catch an overnight ferry.

"We're trying to see if people can fit into bridesmaids' dresses," Mr Johnson said.

Ms Greenacre's immediate family members were among a group of about 35 of their wedding guests who were due to board a flight to Belfast from East Midlands airport at 09:00 GMT on Saturday.

Mr Johnson said the flight was rescheduled for 11:00 GMT, but was later cancelled due to the snow.

'In bits'

Eleven of their guests manage to organise a coach to Birkenhead, and they are hoping to catch a ferry to Belfast on Saturday evening before driving on to Ballymena.

However, Ms Greenacre faces the prospect of getting married without her two bridesmaids and her flower girl because they were not able to travel to Birkenhead.

Mr Johnson said: "She's in bits and we're not even guaranteed that her family will make it over because the ferry has been delayed an hour and a half".

The groom said his bride-to-be had been reduced to tears on several occasions throughout the day and he had tried to comfort her as best as he could.

"We can't believe we've lost probably 35 guests out of 100. Words cannot even describe how we are feeling at the moment," he added.

Mr Johnson, 33, is originally from Bangor in County Down and his 28-year-old fiancé is from Northampton in the East Midlands.

18-month plan

The couple live in Leicester but decided to get married in Ballymena, County Antrim, at Ms Greenacre's suggestion.

"She's been to Northern Ireland quite a few times. She loves it over here and asked if I wanted to get married in Northern Ireland and I snapped her hand off and said 'yes, definitely'," Mr Johnson said.

The couple have been planning their big day for more than a year and a half. Many of their guests booked their flights more than six months ago.

The ceremony is due to go ahead at Ballymena's Galgorm Manor, in front of the couple's remaining 65 guests, whether or not the rest of the wedding party arrives in time.

The groom said they did not expect that their wedding plans would be thrown into chaos because of heavy snow in late March.

"This time last year it was 22 degrees, everyone was in their shorts," he said.

A spokeswoman for Flybe said the 09:00 GMT flight to Belfast was just one of a number of flights cancelled when the runway at East Midlands airport was closed due to adverse weather conditions.

The runway has been reopened but there is still disruption to some flights.