Happy couple celebrate their ‘perfect’ day as pubs reopen
WHILE hundreds of people celebrated the reopening of outdoor hospitality on Monday, newlyweds Ross and Sasha had more reasons to toast a drink than most.
With just six guests, the groom having never met the bride’s family, and a reception on one of Cardiff’s busiest party streets, the wedding was far from traditional.
But despite completely coincidentally arranging the ceremony for the same day hospitality reopened, Ross, 22, and Sasha, 21, Kahler said their day was “perfect”.
The pair got married at Cardiff’s City Hall before heading to the Botanist for a meal and Prego Bar on St Mary Street to continue the celebrations.
Walking down St Mary Street – Sasha with her bouquet still in hand – the happy couple were cheered by revellers out enjoying their newfound freedom.
Coronavirus restrictions meant that Sasha’s family in Russia were unable to travel to the ceremony.
The pandemic has meant that Sasha has not seen her family for two years and Ross is yet to meet his new parents-in-law.
“It was amazing, it was everything we wanted,” said Sasha.
“We didn’t really plan for it to be on the first day everything opened up, but it was nice to see everybody out enjoying themselves. It was nice to see everybody and get cheered. We went to Bute Park first where we had Champagne and cake, and then we went to the Botanist and then to Prego bar on St Mary Street.”
Sasha, a student at Cardiff University, met Ross who was working in Barry, on Tinder almost two years ago. They got engaged in February this year.
“I haven’t seen my family now for two years so they were watching through Zoom and called me later.
“We had some technical difficulties so some people couldn’t watch it but we have recorded it.
“They were really happy, and our friends said the same.
“They’ve only met Ross online, but I think they are happy with my decision – I don’t make many bad decisions.
“We are thinking of having a big celebration in a year’s time, probably somewhere in Swansea in the summer where they can join.”
Sasha said that their big day coinciding with pubs reopening was a pure coincidence. However, the atmosphere and weather in town only added to the occasion.
“It was all a bit disorganised, but Ross’ family was a massive help. If it wasn’t for his mother, I wouldn’t have my hair, my dress. We bought the flowers from M&S and made our own bouquet,” said Sasha.
“My shoes didn’t fit me when they arrived so I decided to go with plan B and I think it was the best decision because they were so comfy to go walking around in.
“My dress was from an independent designer on Etsy – I didn’t feel like splashing out. It was definitely a perfect day. There were a few disasters – with the Zoom not working and our best man who had the rings was running late in the taxi, we were about to use Ross’ parents’ rings.
“I wouldn’t want to have a structured day, to be fair, if it’s unstructured it’s fun – and the weather was a lot better than we were expecting for Wales.
“It was a very nice reaction, we felt like the main characters. Everyone was cheering us and congratulating us – I threw my bouquet at a group of girls and I think they were very happy.”
The handful of guests at the wedding included Ross’ parents, his brother and the couple’s friend and Ross’ best man.
Ross said: “We initially did plan around the springtime – we considered cancelling with everything going on but then we decided that we might as well celebrate it.
“We thought why not get it done, we’ve got a family and six people is more than enough to have a really nice experience.
“We decided we’re going to have a big wedding with all our friends later on when everyone can come.”
Ross, whose orange tie matched Sasha’s Converse trainers, said he proposed to Sasha in February in their kitchen while the pair were relaxing in their onesies.
“It was near enough two years ago now that we met. We started living together pretty soon after we started dating and we were essentially married – so people keep asking how we feel, but we’ve just got a ring on our fingers now.
“We could have had more people we realised because on that date you could have had 30 people for a ceremony outdoors, but it was too late by that point.”
Ross said that the celebratory atmosphere in Cardiff added to their big day.
“It was great, we were obviously planning a more quiet day, but as soon as we realised that the pubs were actually going to be open it was great. It was really, really good. Everyone was clapping when we were walking through town, everyone seemed to be celebrating – I think it was a big relief for people. It was just a really nice atmosphere.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, when travel restrictions lift the couple will be hoping to travel to Russia to see Sasha’s family.
“I think that is first on the list, it’ll be rude not to – I’ll need to brush up on my Russian,” said Ross.
THE Prime Minister has warned that the UK is “not out of the woods yet” as the Covid-19 vaccination programme hit the milestone of delivering second jabs to a quarter of the adult population.
Boris Johnson raised concerns about new variants of the virus during a meeting of the Cabinet, but he told ministers that the road ahead “looks positive”.
And he hailed the “huge achievement” of the vaccination programme as figures show that one in four (25%) UK adults have had their second coronavirus jab.
Downing Street said in a statement: “Cabinet concluded with an update on the pandemic.
“The PM reiterated that the data continues to look good but warned that we are not out of the woods yet as variants of concern continue to pose a threat.
“The PM said that while the road ahead looks positive, there will still be challenges and this Government will continue to take tough decisions where necessary to protect both lives and livelihoods.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This latest milestone is a terrific cause for celebration – over a quarter of all adults across the UK, including those most vulnerable to Covid-19, have now had two jabs, meaning they have received the strongest possible protection.
“There is undeniable evidence that vaccines are saving lives, significantly reducing hospitalisations and deaths. I urge all those who are offered an appointment to get their jab and join the millions of people who now have protection from this terrible disease.”
Mr Johnson tweeted: “This is a huge achievement made possible by the tireless work of so many across our country.”
Meanwhile, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that a total of 266 deaths occurred in the week ending April 9 where Covid-19 was recorded on the death certificate.
This is down 97% from 8,965 deaths in the week to January 22, the peak of the second wave, when more than a thousand deaths were taking place each day.
A total of 152,205 deaths have now occurred in the UK where Covid-19 was mentioned on the death certificate, the ONS said.
It comes after medical supplies from the UK arrived in India, which is facing a significant wave of infections, with some healthcare facilities in the country buckling under the strain. The first of nine planeloads of life-saving kit arrived in New Delhi yesterday.