A BRIDE organised her wedding in just four weeks during lockdown after her first venue cancelled due to Covid-19.

Lauren and Rob Maybank, from Leigh, were set to get married on May 10 2020 with 30 guests until the Prime Minister made the announcement that all weddings would be postponed.

The venue in Hornchurch offered a date in 2021 but the couple’s notice of marriage would have been running out and Lauren was desperate to tie the knot this year.

But with lots of spare time on her hands, Lauren, who is a freelance beauty brand consultant, started to plan another wedding for 60 people at Gosfield Hall, in Halstead.

They paid half the cost upfront as a deposit and it was booked in for December 2020.

But Lauren was then alerted by a wedding group on Facebook that Chelsea Town Hall were accepting small weddings.

Lauren bravely booked the date for four weeks for the intimate do with just seven guests - who all had to wear face masks.

Lauren, 40, told the Echo: “I’d never have thought I would have got married this way but it was totally magical.

“I had a lot of time on my hands to plan so it wasn’t too stressful - it was stressful, but in a nice way.

“I feel for people who spend two years planning a wedding.

“I love a beautiful wedding but I to want to say to people ‘if you really want to get married and you can get someone’s cancellation then just do it’.

“You can do another wedding with a celebration at a later date. It was so much fun, I was giddy!

Lauren, who used local firms for the big day, was taken to the venue in a black cab by a Leigh-based cab driver and walked down the aisle by her six-year-old son, Albie.

Lauren added: “Because no one had seen any weddings happening, people were ‘bibbing’ when we came out. I think they were happy to see someone get married.

“Mum and dad were watching on Zoom as they are high risk, but Rob had muted them by mistake so they couldn’t hear!

They even held up an SOS sign saying “we can’t hear”. Luckily we had a videographer to capture the magic.

“The guests all got funny masks for the day and when I walked down the aisle I didn’t really look at anyone as I was so nervous but when I turned round I just burst out laughing when I saw everyone’s masks.

“Another thing I will say is that, in these times lots of people are coming together and helping each other.

“Just five days before m y wedding, Boris allowed make-up artists to start working again so I messaged a friend and asked and she turned up with full PPE.

“If someone decides to do something last minute people are willing to step in to help and people also need work, so you might get a cheaper dress or cheaper flowers.”

The total cost of the wedding including the outfits came to just under £6,000 including the deposit paid for the previous venue.

Lauren and Rob, 41, met on Tinder in 2018 and Rob, director of an interior design company, proposed to Lauren a year later at home with her son.

They have still kept their larger booking for Gosfield Hall to avoid losing the deposit and will hope to have a bigger celebration with family next year.