A weekend wedding was rearranged within a day to avoid being ruined by the second lockdown.
Local couple, Naomi Sakai and Dominic Gilbert, had planned their big day for Saturday, November 7, but had to re-schedule it in a matter of hours and bring it three days forward.
They ended up getting married on the afternoon of November 4 in St Helen’s Church in Wheathampstead, with 13 people attending in masks.
Naomi said: “I didn’t really notice the masks - it’s something I have got used to seeing now.
“The only people who did not wear a mask were my husband and I and the vicar.”
Following Boris Johnson’s announcement of a new lockdown in England, the couple talked on Sunday evening about bringing the wedding day forward, and by Monday they had managed to do it!
Naomi said: “It was the same wedding, but three days earlier. All the suppliers were amazing. The church and village community have really come together to make this happen for us.
“Everyone who was supposed to come could make it apart from one person who had work - she is a hospital doctor.”
Naomi, 31, is a doctor at The Whittington Hospital and Dominic, 33, is an actuary.
We had a small reception afterwards in the church with coffee and cake provided by Charlie’s café in Wheathampstead.
The newlyweds, who now live in Welwyn Garden City, plan to have a get-together in Japan as many of her family and friends live there.
Having booked to go to the Lake District for their honeymoon, they are now enjoying time off work together at home.
Naomi added: “We have been doing gardening but we will go away when it is all over.”
Although Naomi and Dominic felt disappointed by the thought of having to postpone the wedding, Naomi said: “Re-arranging it really brought us hope and made us feel very loved by the fact that people really made a big effort to be there on our special day.
“We got lots of lovely gifts - we are particulary enjoying our new pizza oven!
“Dominic and I are very grateful for the generosity of the vicar who helped us in so many ways, even sorting out the flowers for the church.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here