A beautiful wedding with just two hours’ notice
RACHEL and Daniel Kensit’s miraculous wedding was rearranged in less than two hours after Boris Johnson announced that Devon and Cornwall were moving into Tier 3 on December 30.
And despite the unbelievable speed of the preparations – most people had only one hour’s notice – the country wedding in a medieval church turned out to be one of the most romantic and beautiful ceremonies ever.
The couple were due to marry on December 31 and Rachel was in the middle of decorating the ancient Gildhouse for the reception at 4.30pm when friends began ringing to tell her that the Covid regulations were changing from midnight. That meant that although they could still marry, with 15 people in the church, the reception and caterers would have to be cancelled.
Rachel remained calm and the couple decided to see if the wedding and reception could go ahead that evening - and somehow, they still don’t quite know how they pulled it off, by 5.45pm Rachel was walking down the aisle at St Winwaloe parish church, in Poundstock, on the Devon and Cornwall border.
The couple live in Bridgerule, Devon but grew up in Bude in Cornwall and had chosen the picturesque setting for a quiet end-of-2020 intimate wedding with just their families. Rachel has two older children - Jacob, nine, and Florence, seven, and the couple have two children together: baby Reuben (aged one) and Wilfred, two.
Afterwards the overjoyed couple thanked their vicar, Rev’d Douglas Adams, who pulled out all the stops: “He’s just a lovely man,” Rachel said. “He drove to find the church warden and get the key and because of that it all came together. Everyone was so good.
“In the end everything was absolutely beautiful. Because it ended up being at night-time, the church and reception were lit up with twinkly lights and it was just magical.
“The caterer had a private job that evening but he phoned his client and explained and the other people were happy for him just to drop off their food earlier.
“The florist rushed around and finished all the bouquets and buttonholes. The photographer was 45 minutes away but he rushed back in the nick of time.
“The only things I couldn’t rearrange were my hair, nails and makeup appointments. But in a way I felt less pressure and felt more myself.
“I went to my parents’ house for an hour before to get ready - a friend came and helped with my hair, and I did my own make-up and nails. It was such a whirlwind that the house was upside down when we left.”
St Winwaloe is the parish church of Poundstock, situated in a secluded dell by a small stream. The ancient Gildhouse opposite, now a Grade 1 listed building, is the best preserved example in Cornwall of a late medieval church house.
“The good thing was that we had been in the Gildhouse all day decorating it and so the heating was on and it was already lovely and warm,” Rachel said. “I was rushing around so much that I didn’t even feel the cold in the church.”
Rachel (nee Sinden) and Daniel had known each other since primary school but met up again four-and-a-half years ago. They decided three months ago to organised a small wedding on December 31 because of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic rules.
They were aware that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was about the change the Tiers on December 30 but thought businesses would be given a few days warning.
Rachel said: “It’s strange because as soon as I heard of the Tiers changing I just felt really calm. Danny said, ‘Why don’t we just do it tonight?’