Coventry paramedics enjoy wedding won after Covid delay

Tristan Holmes Megan and Tristan kissing after getting marriedTristan Holmes
Megan Baker and Tristan Holmes tied the knot at Rugby School after winning the prize

Two paramedics who cancelled their wedding due to the coronavirus pandemic have tied the knot after winning a competition.

Megan Baker, 29, and Tristan Holmes, 32, married at Rugby School after beating about 100 couples to the prize worth £10,000.

Mr Holmes said the day had been "absolutely amazing" and "it was a beautiful ceremony".

The couple will now have a staycation honeymoon in York and Scarborough.

The competition was open to any NHS worker whose big day was called off due to Covid-19.

Organisers Rugby School said the pair had been chosen at random and the £2,500 venue cost was part of the £10,000 prize pot which also included £2,700 in catering.

The couple work on the front line in Coventry for West Midlands Ambulance Service, and live in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

When the pandemic hit, they were living in Gloucestershire where their wedding was due to take place in May 2020, in a village hall in Painswick.

It was cancelled when England's first lockdown began and so they entered the contest, which Rugby School said it launched as an act of gratitude to "our amazing NHS".

The pair found out they won on the day before their original wedding date.

A plan to marry in February this year had to be rescheduled due to a further lockdown, pushing the date to October.

Megan Baker  Megan Baker and Tristan HolmesMegan Baker
The pair had been due to get married in May 2020 but the first lockdown forced them to cancel the event

Friends and family gathered for the ceremony on Thursday including Mr Holmes's uncle who travelled from Germany.

"It was the first time I have seen a lot of these people in the same room which is really amazing," the bridegroom said.

Megan Baker  Tristan Holmes and Megan BakerMegan Baker
The happy couple plan to have a staycation honeymoon before returning to work as front line paramedics

Having taken nearly an extra year and a half to finally wed, Mr Holmes said that when the day came, they both "couldn't wait to get married".

He added: "Megan was beautiful, a stunning and breathtaking bride."

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