Couple organised wedding in TWO HOURS so they could walk down the aisle before Tier 4 Covid restrictions began in London

A couple organised their wedding just in two hours to make sure they were able to get married before London was plunged into tier four at midnight last night. 

Chloe Collins, 31, and Jamie, 29, from Watford, had arranged to get married on September 6 but were forced to change the date three times as different restrictions were implemented across the country. 

Disappointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday, the couple decided they wanted to finally tie the knot before it was too late - beating the restriction changes by two hours.

They walked down the aisle at Edgware United Synagogue at 10pm last night surrounded by their allotted 15 guests - made up of ten family members and three friends.

Chloe Collins, 31, and Jamie, 29, from Watford, arranged their wedding in just two hours to ensure they could tie the knot before the tier four restrictions were imposed

More than 100 people watched on Zoom as the happy couple got married. 

Lettings negotiator Mrs Collins, who described feeling 'physically sick' at the new restrictions, said:  'I've never in my life felt so much love and felt so grateful. 

'We felt the love, and it felt like they were there.'

After Boris Johnson's announcement yesterday the couple, who met three years ago and got engaged in 2019, emailed their rabbi hoping he could shed some light on what restrictions were being applied to weddings. 

While it remained unclear at the time, the rabbi suggested to Mr Collins, an estate agent, that they bring their wedding date forward to avoid another delay.

Mrs Collins said: 'The rabbi said do you want to go ahead tonight and we said yeah, we do. We're ready, let's do it.' 

By six o'clock they had arranged the ceremony and were frantically calling around to ensure their suppliers could help them out - all of which agreed by 7pm. 

They walked down the aisle with just two hours to spare before London was plunged into tier four, after their rabbi suggested they change their wedding date

Chloe and her husband Jamie decided they were fed up of waiting and asked everyone to rally around to help them put the wedding together in a couple of hours

Within two hours they were able to sort out the arrangements and get married before the restrictions prevented them from doing so. 

Mr Collins said: 'We got to the stage with this government where we couldn't keep holding our life anymore for them to keep changing their mind. How long would we be waiting for until we can get married?

'Are we gonna wait six months and still only have 15 people?' 

Wedding restrictions: What is the difference between tier three and tier four?

Tier 3

For people living in tier 3 areas with weddings planner, they are still able to get married but receptions after the ceremony have been banned.  

Weddings are permitted in all tiers, except tier 4, but are restricted to 15 people - including the couple.   

Tier 4

Those in tier 4 who were planning to get married will now have to rearrange following the announcement yesterday. 

Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies must not take place. 

There are some exceptional circumstances however. 

If one of the people getting married is seriously ill and not expected to recover - also known as a deathbed wedding' - they they can have a wedding limited to six people. 

The same applied to those about to undergo debilitating treatment or life-changing surgery.   

 People who are travelling into a tier 4 area for a wedding are expected to adhere to tier 4 restrictions.

 

All their suppliers rushed to help them, all pulling through last minute with just two hours to spare. 

The couple praised the efforts of everyone around them who helped make their wedding possible, stating the businesses went 'above and beyond'  to help them at short notice. 

'Everyone was up for it and it gives you faith in humanity. It gives that love feeling that while even though everything is literally falling apart there is still love.'

To make it to the wedding, Mr Collins's best man drove for two hours and got straight back in his car and went home after the service. 

Their original wedding was meant to be hosted in September at a country estate hotel in Watford, with 130 guests. 

But, as tough restrictions remained in place when their wedding date loomed, they rearranged to have a small ceremony of 15 guests on November 22 but this was cancelled as a result of the second lockdown.

This week alone, the couple were forced to change their weddings plans several times as the government adjusted the coronavirus restrictions across the country. 

They were first left disappointed when their local area, Watford, entered tier three on Monday so they decided to change their venue to somewhere in a tier two area. 

But, shortly after they did that their new location also moved into tier three and they scrapped their original plans and decided to get married on Sunday, December 20 at their synagogue. 

Although the wedding was not they had originally planned, Mr Collins said it felt like their original 130 guests were all there. 

After the ceremony their loved ones went home and they headed into town to take photographs - not returning home until 2am. 

Their honeymoon to Dubai and the Maldives is currently scheduled for the end of January but the couple are waiting to find out if they will be able to go.

They praised the company organising their trip, who they say have been flexible and allowed them to push their holiday forward.  

The latest restrictions would have prevented the couple from getting married as planned, as ceremonies are only allowed to go ahead in 'exceptional circumstances'. 

One such circumstance is for death-bed marriages, in which one partner is unlikely to recover. 

Since their wedding they have received hundreds of messages from people marvelling at their impressive ability to arrange the wedding at such short notice.