West Sussex bride-to-be rearranges wedding hours after it ‘went up in smoke’

Lucy Tinkler, 34, from Lodsworth, was due to marry James Clare, 47, in June at Fitzleroi Barn in Fittleworth after they got engaged last Christmas.

After 15 months of saving money and ‘fine-tuning every single detail’, the couple’s plans ‘went up in smoke’ due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lucy, who runs a PR business, said they were ‘devastated’ but ‘knew it was for the best’, with the wedding now scheduled to take place in January.

Speaking about her ‘emotional rollercoaster’, Lucy said: “Coronavirus aside, the biggest thing has been moving it from summer to winter because we put so much thought into everything.

“We had flowers which were supposed to represent my dad who is no longer with us. I can’t have sunflowers in January. It’s been emotionally hard but we have to remember why we’re doing this and it’s absolutely for the right thing. We can’t risk infecting guests.”

However, Lucy has praised the flexibility of her supplier, which rearranged the wedding at no extra expense to the couple.

“The suppliers were so amazingly brilliant,” she said. “They were happy to go along with whatever I wanted.

“They didn’t have availability for a summer wedding on a Saturday for the next two years. We’d already waited 18 months and didn’t want to wait another few years [so] that’s why we’ve ended up with January next year.”

In a message to other couples finding themselves in a similar situation, Lucy said: “Just stop for a second and try to remain calm. You’re not cancelling, you’re still going to get married. There are people losing loved ones because of the coronavirus and postponing a wedding is nothing compared to that. Everyone is being flexible and trying their hardest to help everyone.”

Julia McDavid, owner of Fitzleroi Barn, said it was a ‘pleasure to help’ in these ‘surreal and unprecedented times’.

She added: “It has been an extremely stressful and worrying time for all of our couples and for us as a family run venue of 20 years.

“We have tried to be as fair as possible to help ease couples anxiety of having to cancel their wedding.

“We have offered all of our couples whose weddings have been and will be effected by Covid-19 a list of alternative dates for them to postpone to.

“All of our couples and suppliers have been so gracious and understanding.”

Lucy’s cousin, event planner Francesca Skeffington, also had to postpone her wedding, which was scheduled for April 18.

She said: “My advice to any couple going through the postponement journey would be to try and take a step back, and just look at it like a project at work.

“Break it down into bitesize chunks and if getting it all done in a day is daunting, pick two suppliers a day to work with.

“Prioritise which are most key then work from there. Finally, don’t forget to tell your guests! Brace yourself for the love and support you will receive from them.”

Click here to read Lucy’s blog

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