Sefton is once again saying ‘I do!’ to weddings in the borough thanks to the hard work of local authority registrars.

While social distancing rules remain in place for everyone’s safety, the council are once more able to offer weddings for those couples who had their ceremony put on hold at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This morning (Monday, July 6) Waterloo Town Hall welcomes its first bride and groom to tie the knot after Thornton couple Stephen and Nicola Pendleton said ‘I do’ in front of witnesses.

“It was a bit of a whirlwind and we cannot thank the registrars team enough for what they did,” said Stephen following the ceremony.

“To be the first couple in Sefton to be married following everything that has gone on is fantastic.”

Bride Nicola added: “The registrars team really wanted to make it as special as they possibly could for us and were so lovely about the situation.”

While weddings can now start to take place once more, government guidelines mean that:

• Numbers will be restricted
• 2 metre social distancing must apply unless additional measures are in place
• Bride unable to be escorted down aisle unless escort (usually dad) is from same household.
• Hand sanitiser to be used on entrance and exit.
• Ceremony will be kept to legal requirements only.
• Photographer allowed but must remain in one place and must be included in numbers.

Couples who were due to to be married and had their ceremony suspended will be contacted by Sefton Council’s Registrars as soon as possible.

Happy couple Stephen and Nicola Pendleton celebrate getting married at Waterloo Town Hall.