Ambulance workers praise Lee-on-the-Solent church as wedding day set to go ahead on original date

The ambulance workers had been planning their wedding day for July 4, 2020 for almost two years, but lockdown meant they’d postponed it until 2021.

Suddenly, it was back on – but they only had one week to reorganise it, with the help of the team at St Faith’s Church in Lee-on-the-Solent.

The Rev Paul Chamberlain helped them to obtain a Common Licence, walked them through the service via Zoom, and will move the furniture so Steph’s father can walk her down the aisle in a socially-distanced way.

Steph, 24, and Tom, 30, met at university six years ago while studying to become paramedics. They both joined the London Ambulance Service and have been working through the pandemic - Steph became ill with the virus in March, and Tom looked after her.

Despite living in London, they wanted to marry at St Faith’s, where Steph’s dad Malcolm and her uncle were choirboys, and her father’s side of the family regularly attended. Steph’s auntie also got married there, and her grandparents volunteered in church.

Steph said: ‘St Faith’s Church has been amazing. It feels like a miracle that it can happen at all.

‘We had an original guest list of 90, but having 30 means we can have parents, siblings, grandparents and so on, all sitting socially distanced from each other.

‘My original dress hadn’t been altered in time before lockdown, but I’ve just ordered a simpler one, and Tom will wear a suit he had already. And my dad will drive me to the wedding in his camper van, so I can be socially distanced in the back!’

The pair are hoping to head down to the seaside after the ceremony for photos, and they have booked a hotel for a celebratory meal – with a bigger reception to follow next year.

The Rev Paul Chamberlain said: ‘We’ve been really pleased to be able to pull out all the stops to make this wedding possible. I’m delighted that this happy event will be the first service back in St Faith’s Church after the lockdown.’

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