Couple set to be one of first to tie knot on Freedom Day

Alan Whitehouse and Victoria Weston, from Kidderminster, will be saying their vows at Pendrell Hall, in Codsall, on Monday in front of almost 100 guests.

It comes after their original wedding date of August 11, 2020, had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alan, a 38-year-old HGV driver, said they were offered a couple of dates and out of luck picked July 19, 2021, which means all restrictions will be lifted for their big day.

He said he has been planning the wedding with 29-year-old Victoria since they got engaged in 2018.

"We feel really lucky, we had a couple of dates in mind and it's just fallen on the right one," Alan said.

"We've been together six-and-a-half years, it'll be seven in November. We got engaged in 2018 and we've been planning the wedding for two years but then Covid stopped everything.

"It was frustrating but what can you do really, your hands are tied, you can't do much about it.

"It was July last year when we postponed the wedding, so it was about a month's notice, we tried to leave it as long as possible.

"Our first date was a Tuesday and we wanted to keep the wedding at the start of the week as there's a massive price difference.

"We were happy when we heard about June 26th being the end of the roadmap and even though it was postponed for four weeks it was fortunate that it landed on July 19."

Alan said that despite face masks now not being mandatory throughout the ceremony it is up to his guests whether they feel more comfortable wearing one or not during the day.

Some guests have had to isolate this week due to being in contact with someone who has tested positive and luckily their isolation ends just before the wedding, so currently no one is having to miss the day, he added.

And as well as it being Freedom Day, Monday is set to be scorching hot.

Alan said: "It's looking to be an absolute scorcher too, we're lucky."