Covid-19 sinks cruise ship wedding dream
DISAPPOINTMENT FOR TRISH AND OLLIE BUT COUPLE MANAGE TO TIE THE KNOT
IT was supposed to be the most special day of Trish Rattray’s life.
On March 19, she and her partner, Ollie, were due to embark on a flight to Barcelona, where they would then board a cruise ship with 20 of their family members. While on the vessel, the two women were due to be wed.
Unfortunately, as has proven to be the case for so many people across the world this year, the COVID-19 coronavirus that had been ravaging the globe since the end of 2019 put paid to those plans.
Due to travel restrictions implemented across Europe, designed to combat the spread of the virus that has infected over one million people worldwide to-date, meant that any wedding plans were scuppered for the foreseeable future.
The couple did go through the process of becoming legally married in the eyes of the courts, but as Trish put it herself: ‘We got married but didn’t have a wedding.’
Originally from Wicklow, Trish played camogie and rugby for Avondale and Rathdrum for many years, respectively. She ultimately gave up both sports after she moved to Laois to live with the love of her life, Ollie.
While they were disappointed with the unfortunate series of events, Trish – who works in the area of vaccine development for infants, alongside her wife – remains realistic and appreciative that the current circumstances called for such measures to be taken
‘We are not naïve. There are more important things going on in the world but, of course, not getting married was disappointing all the same, but we will still have that to look forward to when everything hopefully calms down.
‘What we are going to do now, we don’t know. Whether we will go on a cruise ship or do a small ceremony here, we are not sure.’
The financial outlay for the cancellation remains unknown for the couple.
At time of writing, they had not received word from their travel agent as to what happens going forward; whether they get a refund or a promise of a booking in the future. Ultimately, this is a side of the equation that does not concern them in the slightest.
‘We don’t really care about the money side of things. We were just raging with other things. We had planned the big day and it didn’t go to plans, so we had to put up our dresses and bridesmaid dresses.
‘We were more upset about the ‘not getting married’ side of things than not being able to go on holidays and stuff like that.’
Now that their wedding and subsequent honeymoon plans have been shelved for the foreseeable future, Trish and Ollie have both returned to working in pharmaceuticals. Their responsibilities relate to the production of vital vaccines that are given to young infants in order to prevent them from getting illnesses such as measles.
It is an essential service that Trish and her colleagues supply for the entire population, and one that Trish is happy to provide for as long as it is required, despite the inherent risks at present.
‘It is not a case that we would feel unsafe going into work and we are still happy to go into work and do what we can.
‘If it was a case where we didn’t have to go to work, we wouldn’t. We both work for the same company and we are not in a position not to go in because we are both fit and healthy at the minute. They are taking measures in work, like social distancing; in the canteen, we are all two metres apart.’