NHS workers James and Alison Young planned a big wedding until COVID-19 struck.

Alison who works as an oncology nurse at Bournemouth Hospital, where James also works as a pharmacist, had to abandon plans for their hen and stag nights, the grand wedding with live entertainment - and the honeymoon, as life became particularly chaotic.

Alison had planned a spa day at Chewton Glen, but this was abandoned and she had a handful of friends over for afternoon tea in the garden, made by her mum.

For the stag do, James had planned to take fourteen friends to The Crystal Maze experience in London for an overnight stay. Instead, he had two friends over for party games in the garden, which his "wonderful mother- and father-in-law organised."

For the honeymoon they had booked a two-week cruise around the Med for September 2020, which was also cancelled.

But against the odds, they managed to tie the knot - even if, in the end,  they would have been happy to settle with 'a broom cupboard' and minimal guests to finally say 'I do'.

James said:"I proposed to Alison the day before my 40th birthday over a picnic in Little Bredy, by the waterfall. It took a long time to get there in the traffic and we'd just finished work so were hungry and tired. But I laid out the blanket and picnic and she said 'yes!'"

"It was very special," Alison chips in, as James adds: "Alison had organised a big family afternoon tea at the Greenhouse Hotel so I thought it was an ideal opportunity to tell both families, which was a big gamble because if she'd said no it would have ruined my party!Of course I shot myself in the foot as my 40th was totally eclipsed by the engagement!"

Covid-19 had a big impact on plans as James explains: "We were forced to postpone our July 2020 wedding until March 2021, which we begrudgingly did. Our hen and stag celebrations were also cancelled pending rearrangement, as well as our honeymoon. As NHS workers we were already under immense pressure so this was a major disappointment for us. However, once the lockdown lifted and small weddings were allowed, we asked whether we could wed on our original date with just family members (whilst saving the big party for the March 2021 date), and the venue were very obliging in helping us to make this happen!"

The wedding took place at Christchurch Harbour Hotel in Mudeford but plans for a big party in March - which Alison had saved her traditional wedding dress for, have now been cancelled due to the third lockdown.

And so they had a small and intimate wedding, with Alison wearing a dress she had bought in the sale from Dorothy Perkins and James wearing a three-piece suit he had had in his wardrobe for a while- topped off by a pocket watch given to him by his bride on their special day!

The limit of ten guests (including staff and registrars) meant they had just seven guests, made up of both sets of parents, the Best Man, and two bridesmaids. The bridal party was the bride's best friend and goddaughter.

To sum up what was the most stressful part of organising your wedding, they say: "The constant rearranging, correspondence with guests, liaising with suppliers, and the restrictions in place for the ceremony itself."

The best memories are: "The beautiful venue (who really did us proud within the confines of what they were permitted to offer), the wonderful family photos taken by our amazing photographer Jon Ball of Solid Imagery, and a bright sunny evening on Mudeford Quay with loved ones."

Did they have a first dance?"Unfortunately not - we had planned to choreograph a routine for this but never got to do so!

"We stayed on for a few nights at our wedding venue (the Christchurch Harbour Hotel) after the wedding, and enjoyed wondering around Mudeford and Christchurch. We plan to take a big holiday when we can, like millions of others!"

James adds: "We felt very blessed to have been able to wed this year, and despite being much more modest than planned, we had the most memorable wedding day - small, but oh-so perfectly formed! We proved that a wedding can be minimalistic and just as precious as a larger event."

Alison looks back and says:"Throughout the planning you couldn't get too frustrated that people were not available and not working. We were pretty exhausted most of the time and we have lost a couple of colleagues to covid, young and old. I work with people with cancer and sadly we have lost patients and had to make difficult decisions about their care due to the ripple effect of the pandemic. My colleagues did a little hen party for me though - they decorated my office with bunting and we had non alcoholic fizzy drinks and wore badges saying 'Team Bride'."

James adds that getting married during these hard times has helped them to 'spread some joy'.

"Our friends were thrilled for us and even driving Alison to the wedding people we passed were beaming and happy to see the wedding car - we were really moved by it."

Did you support local businesses for your wedding? E.g cake maker, décor company

We did - Jules Florist (who was so kind and helpful), local photographer Jon Ball of Solid Imagery, and Jewel Vintage in Westbourne for our wedding rings. The superb cakes were made by family and friends.

"It was the happiest day of our lives!"