A Linslade pub saved the day for a pair of newlyweds after their venue cancelled their wedding reception just 24 hours before they were meant to tie the knot.
Steve and Tracy Collins of Linslade were left panicking last Friday when they received a call to say the cold weather had frozen the pipes at their planned venue and they were unable to host the event.
Desperate not to have to call off the wedding reception and disappoint more than 80 guests, the couple called their local pub the Globe Inn on Globe Lane and were delighted when they managed to save the day.
Tracy said: “We couldn’t believe it when our venue let us down at the last minute. We had family travelling from all over the country to join us and to be left without a venue the day before your wedding is just awful.
“We were booked in for a pre-wedding dinner at the Globe, our local, that Friday night and were so relieved when they said they could host the wedding too the next day.
“We are beyond grateful to Andy, Michelle and the team at the Globe. They bent over backwards to ensure we had an unforgettable wedding for all the right reasons.
Tracy added: “I’d like to thank everyone at the Globe for going above and beyond, and all the people who were already booked in for what they thought was going to be a quiet Saturday night dinner at their local.
“One couple even sent us over a drink as way of congratulations, noting they had their own wedding reception at the Globe 18 years ago. It was a really wonderful wedding and a very happy ending to a rather dramatic 24 hours.”
The wedding reception on Saturday went off without a hitch and the couple, who have been together for four years, got married in Las Vegas last week and were looking forward to their reception in England with their family and friends.
Andy Ramsden, who manages the Globe Inn with his wife Michelle, said: “Tracy rang us in tears and we couldn’t believe they’d been let down at the last minute. Despite the short notice we knew we had to help and told Tracy we would do whatever we could to help make the wedding happen here at the Globe.”
Helping to make sure everything went ahead as planned, the Bridgwater Arms Hotel in Little Gaddesden, lent the Globe extra bottles of champagne and champagne glasses.
And to ensure the pub was accessible for guests in cars and on foot, they also used a quad bike with snow shovel attached to clear snow and grit the steep hill which leads to the pub.
Andy said: “We already had some dinner bookings for that Saturday night so it was going to be a tight squeeze. We called everyone to let them know about the unexpected wedding and thankfully they were all great about it. In fact, on the night many joined in with the celebrations!”