Couple renewing vows after lockdown wedding delay
A couple who met at church – but were unable to get married in one because of restrictions on same-sex marriages – are looking forward to renewing their vows at Coventry Cathedral.
Ellie and Ali Bright have told how their faith is an important part of their identity and that not being able to get married in a church was a difficult hurdle to overcome.
They also faced having to postpone their wedding in 2020 during the Covid lockdown as well as opposition from family over their plans.
The couple are now looking forward to renewing their vows at Coventry Cathedral – and will be wearing the outfits from their original wedding day.
The mass renewal of vows on Valentine's Day has been organised by BBC Coventry and Warwickshire (CWR).
Ali civil engineer, described how the couple, who met at St Ann and All Saints Church in Coventry, near where they live, got married in a disused church that was no longer consecrated.
The 28-year-old said, while planning their wedding, that "Ellie had gone down a rabbit hole online and found an abandoned church that was no longer classified as a church".
"It was all falling apart. The building was basically cobweb city and dusty, and we spent basically the week before making it all beautiful."
A celebrant held a ceremony for the couple in the building, and the next day they went to the register office.
The couple, who now have a three-year-old daughter, Henrietta, had also faced a job change, a house move and IVF, all during the pandemic.
"We didn't have a break in Covid," said Ellie, who added that they were, though, lucky to be successful on their first round of IVF.
Now, looking forward to renewing their vows, Ali said: "When we decided we wanted to get married, it was actually just quite heartbreaking... knowing we couldn't get married in the church that we went to three or four times a week.
"I think being able to be a part of this at Coventry Cathedral is going to make a big healing process for us. Coventry means a lot to us, and the church means a lot to us."
And Ellie, 31, a self-employed mental health wellbeing practitioner, said: "Our daughter can be there. She's so excited."
She added their wider family had now accepted their relationship, and the couple had discussed a celebration with family, now that they have their daughter.
"She keeps saying, 'when's our wedding'," Ellie said.
"She's such a celebration of joy for us and an absolute love. We're just so excited to be able to do that with her, too."
Coventry Cathedral has actively welcomed same-sex couples to apply to be part of the renewal.
The Reverend Nitano Muller said: "The church has always been a space of welcome. We sadly haven't always got it right. The challenge in my role is to ensure that everybody knows that the doors of the cathedral, in particular, are relentlessly open, as I like to say."
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