A couple celebrates a “special” wedding in Nottinghamshire on the day coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
Bride Sophie Allen and groom Joshua Devenish celebrated their special day at the Gilstrap Registration Office in Newark and look forward to seeing family and friends at their local pub later that day.
The Caythorpe, Lincolnshire couple added that the day without masks and social distancing had brought more to celebrate.
The restrictions were lifted across the UK as part of the fourth phase of easing measures put in place during the pandemic.
Bride Sophie Allen, a retired Olympic swimmer, said, “Coming out and being able to hug and take off masks is what this is all about.
“It’s definitely something very special. There were doubts about the upcoming date, although this is our original date, which we booked last February. “
The happy couple in Newark Castle Gardens
(Image: Nottingham Post / Marie Wilson)
Groom Joshua Devenish, who is self-employed, added, “That means we can do more later that night and see all of our family and friends in the pub.
“It will be great to enjoy the day without restrictions.”
Sophie, is a retired Olympic swimmer who was part of Team GB in London in 2012 and also competed in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
The removal of the restrictions means groups can now better gather for pictures at weddings, and the limit on the number of guests has been removed.
A spokesman for the Nottinghamshire Register Office said: “We’ve been on quite a roller coaster ride for the past 16 months.
“From the shock of last March and the ban on overnight ceremonies, we have ridden the waves of ceremonies reintroduced with restrictions in July, banned again in November, reintroduced in December with restrictions, banned again in January, reintroduced with restrictions in March, before it hits today and can finally give couples a chance to completely fill the ceremony rooms without the need for social distancing or face covering.
“It is wonderful to be able to offer our entire range of services again, although we will of course proceed with caution. Vaccinations have reduced hospital stays and deaths, but the rate of infection has increased and infection with the virus could still lead to disease.
“With that in mind, we’re keeping some measures like screens, hand sanitizer, and ventilation. We also support registrars who wish to continue their personal social distancing and wear face coverings. It is very important to us that the entire team feels supported and safe.
“We got each other through some difficult times in this pandemic. A couple of us caught ourselves before vaccinating against Covid. One of us is currently bad with Covid after vaccination. Even so, we are now looking ahead with cautious optimism and our diaries look fuller than ever.
“In 2020 we held 1,265 marriage and partnership ceremonies in Nottinghamshire. This year we have 2944 ceremonies in our calendar (with time to be booked) and in 2022 we will already have 1999 ceremony bookings. “