Fourth time lucky for couple whose wedding plans were destroyed by coronavirus pandemic

The couple are now keeping their fingers crossed that their fourth wedding date on May 29, at Bawtry Hall, will take place without a hitch.

Amy, who is originally from Retford said: "I’d like to say we feel adept at wedding planning and it’s been an adventure but it hasn't.

"Towards the end of last year we were so frustrated and I suppose sick to the back teeth of discussing if we should keep postponing the wedding, cancelling it or just wait another year.

"We were at the stage that we just wanted that commitment and were speaking about just going off on our own to get married but deep down that’s just not what we wanted. It was so stressful because we were just in limbo”

Amy, aged 35, and Tom, 31, have been together for four years after meeting through work at Evans Halshaw.

Amy and Tom’s wedding nightmare began shortly after booking their first wedding date in Santorini, Greece through travel company Thomas Cook.

The couple had booked a picturesque winery destination after falling in love with the area on their first holiday.

But after Thomas Cook went into administration the couple’s dream plans collapsed and the wedding was cancelled.

The couple, who now live in Parson Cross, in Sheffield, had planned to turn their UK night do at The Crown Hotel in Bawtry into a full wedding on June 6 2020, but lockdown once again threw their plans into chaos.

Over the next few months the couple were dealt blow after blow as they were then forced to decide whether to have a ceremony with just 15 guests or once again postpone their big day.

Amy said: "We had grandparents who were in the vulnerable category so we had to consider that and after the heartache of Santorini we had made the decision that we wanted a big wedding in the UK as we were only going to have seven guests in Santorini.

“When we were trying to navigate lockdown after lockdown it was bittersweet because we thought oh my god we can finally get married but we can only have 15 people there. Our families were incredibly supportive and totally understanding but it was so difficult.

"I then read on Instagram that mid March stage 2 weddings could only go ahead if they were outdoors or in places of worship or a registry office so there was a lot of confusion and we had a lot of talks with our wedding planner and Bawtry Hall.

"We had a few days of waiting and we were just in bits but then we had confirmation that the wedding could not take place in the way we had planned so we made the difficult decision to postpone it for the fourth time.”

In spite of all the heartache along the way the couple are now looking forward to their big day with 29 guests able to attend to celebrate with them.

Amy, a marketing manager at Simply Bizz said: “The team at Bawtry Hall have been phenomenal every step of the way through every stage, I couldn't recommend them enough.

"They have really gone above and beyond to help with those extra touches.

"We can’t have the big party reception we had planned but we didn’t want the day to be over after the meal so the team is arranging for us to have an area in The Crown so we can have drinks after our meal, it’s these little things that have really made a difference.

"We went to discuss all the final details at the venue the other day and I got butterflies when I walked in, after all the heartache I finally feel like I’ve got that excitement back and I finally feel like this is all really happening.

“It’s been a rollercoaster and it’s not been easy for us, there has been a lot of stress and worry and a lot of conversations about if we were doing the right thing everytime we had to postpone. Tom has been incredible throughout it, he’s just been my rock and I love him so much for that.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Sam Jackson, editor.