Lauren, a bride-to-be shares her experience of postponing her big day

Bride-to-be Lauren tells us: "In times of adversity, there’s a polarizing effect that it has on humanity. It tends to make people either more gracious or more selfish according to their nature. I wanted to share an experience I had with the former, as we can all use more positivity in this day and age. 

"I was due to be married on April 4th at Craig Y Nos Castle in Wales with 40 guests travelling from abroad and 60 from the UK. A few weeks ago, as the dangers of travel were becoming more apparent, we made the call to postpone. I called Nicola, one of the wedding planners at the castle and she was incredibly accommodating. Bear in mind this was before any actual restrictions or government advisories beyond “wash your hands”. They were willing to move everything to another date without any charge, offering nothing but kind words and support. They were also willing to let us use the theatre for free to get married on the 4th in a tiny 6 person wedding so we can get the immigration process started as my fiancé is from the UK and I’m from the US. 

"As time went on and things escalated it became clear that I was going to have to go back to the US sooner rather than later or I might end up stranded in the UK with no way to help my parents on our family ranch in the US. I called Nicola again on Friday the 20th of March asking if we could try to move up the date. She said absolutely! We will do everything in our power to help you guys get married, and that’s exactly what she did. I was unable to get in touch with the registrar that Friday, so Nicola managed to contact the registrar on a Saturday and they set something up for the coming Tuesday. Nicola offered to set up a beautiful picnic area in the garden as they were no longer able to serve food due to government mandate, so I could just bring the food and it would all be decorated and romantic. I got a new dress and we were all set to go until the night before the wedding, the UK went into total lockdown and all weddings were cancelled even small ones. 

"While this may not be much of a happy ending to the story, the kindness and support showed my fiancé and I by Nicola and the rest of the staff at Craig Y Nos has been such an enormous help in dealing with the emotions of having to postpone and having to leave the UK without knowing when my fiancé would be able to join me. If anyone is looking for a new location to get married, I cannot express how much I recommend Craig Y Nos Castle. Beyond having an amazingly beautiful facility with phenomenal food and fantastic history, their staff are the absolute best in the business with the biggest hearts as well!

"Not all heroes wear capes, some work at Craig Y Nos!"

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