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May 2020

Harrogate

No wedding and separated on what would have been our big day

Published: 15 May 2020, 16:43 BST

Updated: 15 May 2020, 16:46 BST

by Ami Miller Lifestyle Reporter

Harrogate couple had to postpone their wedding and weren't even able to spend what was meant to be their big day together, as fiance Henry works in A&E at Harrogate hospital on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic.

Jade Edwards and Henry Stam were meant to tie the knot on May 9, at Rudding Park, but due to coronavirus, their big day has been postponed.

To make matters worse the couple weren't even able to spend their 'not wedding day' together as Henry works as a doctor in A&E at Harrogate Hospital. Jade told the Stray Ferret that the whole thing has been very sad:

It was meant to be such a special year, it's just so sad... Henry has moved into an apartment in Harrogate as he is very much on the front line of the pandemic and we have an 11-month-old daughter so he didn't want to put her or me at risk, so we couldn't even spend the day together... a few other couples we know got dressed up and had a nice meal at home, but we couldn't do that.

Henry isn't very emotional, but even he said that at 1pm last Saturday he was looking at his watch thinking about where we should have been... But it's out of our control, we will just have to look forward to next year.

The couple initially postponed the ceremony to the 4th July, but as time went out they realised that, even if it could go ahead then, that it wouldn't be the wedding they wanted.

I didn't want everyone to be in face mask or for my older relatives to not be able to come, so we thought it was best to just push it back until next year... The venue have been brilliant, they have just dealt with the whole thing for us, nothing was an issue.

Laura Lindsay who is a wedding planner in Harrogate, usually organises 50 weddings between April and September. She told the Stray Ferret that this is not something the industry ever imagined having to go through :

Everything up until august is out of the window for most of my brides... and anyone who is holding out is looking at a different style of wedding day... this is no longer 100 guests it's on a much smaller scale.

2020 brides will have bought their products, personalised them with their dates date, sent out invites... they are now having to do this twice which is an added expense.

With the majority of weddings this year being moved over to 2021 Laura advised that people secured their dates quickly. She went on to say:

I just want to remind you all when you're feeling down that your wedding will happen and when it does it is going to be an amazing celebration, there will be people that won't of seen each other in such a long time and the whole day will be valued so much more.