Park and bride! Five couples tie the knot at the UK’s first transit wedding service after their big days were postponed due to the coronavirus
- A ride-hail service has launched drive-through weddings for British couples today
- Five couples whose wedding was postponed due to COVID-19 have tied the knot
- The coronavirus pandemic has canceled thousands of weddings across the UK
Five British couples tied the knot today at the UK’s first transit wedding service after their big days were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Brides and grooms have been stopped in black cabs in London thanks to the service launched by the Ride Hail app Free Now.
Couples were nominated either by friends or by themselves before being selected by the company after explaining why they should be stopped in transit.
Lucie Hacq and Charles Langevin, Jonny Johnson and Sara Martin, Francesca Stokes and Peter Lipton as well as Fatima Bajwa and Jahanzeb Khan were among the couples who said “I do” in the capital today.
Five British couples tied the knot in London today at the first London transit wedding service after their big days were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Pictured: newlyweds Lucie Hacq and Charles Langevin
Lucie and Charles exchange a kiss after their wedding. Free Now provided cars and paid for the quick wedding of five couples
All couples married in Boundary Gardens in East London and enjoyed a quiet ceremony after exchanging their vows.
Future grooms were picked up in black cabs, while brides traveled in white private rental vehicles commissioned by Free Now.
The business model follows a Vegas-style elopement in which the happy couple arrives at a selected location in their car to meet the celebrant and the two witnesses.
The couple often stays in their car during the ceremony and the paperwork is directed through the window to be signed and approved.
But this time the couples were reunited in the hallway where they exchanged their vows. Free Now paid for the cost of a quick wedding for all couples.
Francesca Stokes and Peter Lipton hug after their wedding ceremony, which they also concluded with the drive-through service
Married couple Jonny Johnson and Sara Martin exchange a sweet kiss in London’s Boundary Gardens after tying the knot today
Gentleman Jonny helped his bride out of her private rental car after they exchanged vows during the drive-through service
The couples could be seen driving side by side in the vehicles and sharing a glass of champagne after their ceremony.
The cars adorned with bows and flowers looked like this every inch while the duos wore their wedding jewelry.
Not only were the weddings a logistical feat, they were also very short to meet government guidelines post COVID-19.
Mariusz Zabrocki, the general manager of FREE NOW UK, said ahead of the ceremonies his goal was to make weddings fun after restrictions forced many couples to revise their plans.
A beaming Sara received her bouquet after marrying her boyfriend Jonny at the drive-through ceremony
Fatima Bajwa and Jahanzeb Khan were also among the lucky couples who took their chance at the service
The newlyweds helped themselves to cakes and drinks on the occasion of their unusual wedding ceremony
“We all know someone who was in limbo because they had to postpone their wedding because of COVID and felt their pain.
“And with so much fun that currently prevails at weddings, such as not having a proper reception, only inviting up to 30 people and forbidding singing; We were inspired to jump in and give some lucky couples a chance to get married in fun and unusual ways, ”he told LondonTV.
Downing Street announced in mid-August that wedding receptions would be allowed for up to 30 guests, but only in the form of a seated meal and in a Covid-safe location.
Ceremonies were allowed from July 4th – for a maximum of 30 participants – but until August 15th newlyweds were prohibited from celebrating their union with a traditional knee-high.
The government introduced new restrictions this week banning gatherings of more than six people in England and Wales. However, weddings are exempt from the new rules, as are funerals, work and team sports.
