A COUPLE brought forward their wedding by five weeks so they could celebrate with more family and friends, before the new coronavirus restrictions on guest numbers came in.

Justine Friedrich and Ash Lyons have been on a rollercoaster of emotions throughout lockdown, as they tried to make their wedding dream a reality amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Rosegrove couple, who have known each other for 15 years, were meant to be getting married at the Fence Gate, Fence, on April 25 but it was cancelled due to lockdown. They then set a date for October 31 at the Lawrence Hotel, Padiham.

However, with the latest restrictions which came in on yesterday, limiting wedding attendance to just 15 people, the couple decided to bring it forward so 30 family and friends could enjoy the special occasion on Saturday.

Justine, 28, said: “We did not want to wait any longer and the staff at the Lawrence have been amazing making us feel like nothing is an issue.

“We had to make sure it was all within Covid restrictions with masks and hand-washing.

“We have managed to have some of our family and friends and bridesmaids and our son Jack, who is six. Some of them wouldn’t have been able to make it with the new restrictions. It has been crazy having to wrap it up.”

Speaking of the wedding, she said: “It was absolutely perfect and more than we could have ever wished for.

“We are so happy with everything. The guys at the Lawrence and all of our lovely guests helped to make our day even more amazing.

“It was more than we ever could have dreamed off.”

Now they are planning to have a holiday with their son Jack at Center Parcs.

Michael Huckerby, owner of the Lawrence Hotel, said: “We opened our wedding room last June and it was the end piece of a £1m investment.

“We had 40 wedding bookings for this year and only managed to only get two in.

“I had one day off last week, as a I came in on Wednesday to get the plans together. Our front-of-house Hayley Nicholson said to us I don’t think we could have done it with any other bride. But we all worked together and were able to pull it off.

“We had to take into consideration all the Covid-secure measures put in place by the Government for social distancing.

“It was such a privilege to host Ash and Justine’s wedding.

“It proved that it’s not about how big a wedding is – it’s about the love they have for each other and the love of their family and friends. Even with social distancing and masks it was still a day filled with fun and so much love.”