What should have been the perfect day very nearly turned into a complete disaster for one young couple who tied the knot on New Year’s Eve.
Zara Robinson, 22, a former pupil of Shrewsbury’s Belvidere School, and her bridegroom Daniel Litherland, 28, thought everything was in place for their big day – but then burst pipes brought down the ceiling at the wedding venue, the bride’s veil and tiara nearly went up in flames in a shop blaze, and the flowers were prevented from arriving because of the bad weather.
As if that wasn’t enough the couple had also planned their honeymoon for Sharm El Sheikh – the resort hit in recent weeks by a number of shark attacks.
Thankfully family, friends and staff at the Wroxeter Hotel rallied round and pulled out all the stops to ensure the couple’s day went ahead – and they are now sunning themselves in the Egyptian resort.
Zara’s mum, Kerry, from Ramsay Meadow, Berwick Grange, said: “It was a bit stressed but it all turned out beautifully. The wedding was absolutely wonderful.
“It must have been terrible for the staff at The Wroxeter Hotel when the ceiling came down just four days before the wedding day. But we would never have known if they hadn’t told us.”
Hotel manager Margot Foster said she was awoken at 6.40am on her day off on Monday by two housekeepers who turned up for work to discover gallons of water pouring into the wedding venue along with water dripping through the ceilings in the bar and hotel reception area.
Margot immediately arranged for a plumber and specialist drying equipment to be brought in, and gallons of water were pumped out of the suite.
“There were gallons of water, the ceiling was down, it was a mess. But there was a wedding to get ready for so we just all leapt into action,” said Margot.
“The hotel staff and everyone who helped us get the venue ready for the couple’s big day were simply amazing. I am so proud of them and want to thank them all,” she added.
And while hotel staff worked frantically to repair the damaged venue, the bride and groom discovered that the bride’s tiara and veil were inside Angie’s Hair Salon in Castle Street, Shrewsbury, which was badly damaged in a fire just two days before on Christmas Day.
Luckily, staff managed to save the bridal wear.
A third disaster struck when the wedding florist discovered that the flowers could not be delivered on time due to the bad weather.
Thankfully, fresh flowers were purchased at the last minute in a mad dash to Birmingham suppliers.
Kerry said despite all the disastrous events the wedding was ‘absolutely wonderful’.
“The Wroxeter hotel staff were so wonderful to us. I would highly recommend them. The food was out of this world, the staff couldn’t have done more. It was a perfect venue.”
The couple will start their married lives at their home in Yorkshire where Zara works as a carer at a home for the elderly in Huddersfield and husband Daniel, whose parents live in Telford, is a wind turbine engineer.
By Anna Williams