COVID almost paid for an Ebbw Vale couple’s big day.
But with determination and only two weeks to organize it, Alex and Benjamin Price took the plunge and got married after about 12 years together.
And they’re happy they did, because just three months later, Ms. Price’s mother, Sharon Jones, died of Covid.
Mr. Price had to quit his job six years ago after he became disabled, and Ms. Jones was diagnosed with cancer about five years ago. These spurred Ms. Price to marry.
Ms. Price, who has three sons with her current husband, said, “Mom and I had planned my wedding since I was a little girl. I knew if I lost my mother I would never get married.”
Everything was planned, but when the pandemic broke out, she canceled her wedding.
“Then I had a change of heart two weeks before my actual wedding date,” she said. “There were always doubts about my mother, so I rebooked. We had to plan everything within those two weeks.
“The day came and my mother took me to the altar. It was the most beautiful day, even with Covid restrictions!
“Unfortunately, my mother died of Covid three months later.
“Marriage to my girlfriend was the absolute highlight of my life, apart from my children, and as you can imagine, our married life got off to a rocky start with the loss of my mother so soon after we were married,” she said.
Did you always know what kind of wedding you wanted?
Yes, I always wanted the biggest baggy dress in a castle. I always imagined I was Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. Unfortunately, Covid spelled the end of many of our plans, but we still had pigeons and the best Welsh wedding photographer voted at the Welsh Best Awards. Our venue was absolutely beautiful too. I picked a dress I never thought I would wear – still a princess dress, but nowhere near what I thought and I loved it.
Where did you have the ceremony?
We got married at The Manor in Crickhowell. It has such a nice ballroom and I could always imagine going down there. The reasons are so beautiful. With Covid in mind that we would be encouraged to spend time outdoors, I wanted a venue with beautiful grounds.
How did it go?
The morning was extremely stressful and the start was late, but everything went according to plan. It was such a fantastic day.
And what about the reception?
Everything was held in the manor. I wanted a place where everything can be together.
Was there a theme for the wedding?
Not as such. I didn’t want flowers. That was my only rule, so I had an all-jeweled bouquet that was really heavy! The main theme was sparkling silver / gray. A slimmed-down feeling on the back.
Where did you get the dress, the cars, the cake, the bridesmaid outfits, the groom’s outfit, the video, the photography, the bouquet and the menswear?
My dress was from Perfect Day Bridal. I used the seamstress there to take the dress apart and redesign it. The maid of honor’s dress was from Ever Pretty. My photographer was Lilith In Bloom. I didn’t have any flowers, but Urban Mor made my bouquet. We didn’t have a car as we were already at the venue. We had rented pigeons from Lovey Dovey.
What was the best?
From the second I started running, I was scared. I was trembling like a leaf and my mother held my hand. Then I looked up and met my husband’s eyes, and in that moment I felt total happiness and love. Taking our vows was very special for me. Even the moment my mother and I were alone, waiting for our turn to enter the aisle. We were both really scared and she kept me cheering about why I was doing the right thing and how proud she was of me.
And the worst?
I had made wedding consultation cards with doodle boxes that guests could fill out for us. Nobody could find her right before our dinner and I cried about it. It seems absolutely trivial, but by the time I was gutted. The wedding coordinator brought out little squares of paper so everyone could write some wisdom for us at the end.
Are you telling us about your honeymoon?
We haven’t had a honeymoon yet due to Covid and the loss of my mother, but we hope to go to Italy.
- In the gallery above, click through a beautiful collection of photos from Mr and Mrs Price’s wedding.
