A nurse and doctor who had to cancel their wedding due to the coronavirus outbreak tied the knot at the hospital where they work.
Jann Tipping, 34, and Annalan Navaratnam, 30, took time out of battling coronavirus in the frontline have their nuptials with guests “dialing in” via webcams.
The couple had planned to marry in August but decided to cancel due to fears over their families being able to travel there safely from Northern Ireland and Sri Lanka.
They work at St Thomas Hospital in central London and were married in its Grade 2 listed chapel.
Jann, an ambulatory emergency nurse, said: “We wanted to have the ceremony while everyone was still healthy, even if it meant our loved ones having to watch us on a screen. We wanted to make sure we could celebrate while we were all still able to.
“The chaplaincy team worked hard to get permission for us to be married, which we appreciated greatly at a time when so much was going on.
“A date was set within two weeks and we hadn’t bought my dress, our rings and other things we needed so we rushed to get everything done quickly.”
St Thomas was the hospital where medics saved PM Boris Johnson ’s life after he was admitted to intensive care.
The hidden chapel has features dating back to when St Thomas’ opened on its current site opposite the Houses of Parliament in 1870.
Rather than postpone the event the pair from Tulse Hill in south London wanted to get married as soon as possible with their guests being able to watch remotely.
The service took place on April 24 held by Revd Mia Hilborn, head of spiritual healthcare at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. There were only the three of them plus two witnesses inside the chapel.
After the ceremony the newlyweds hosted a virtual drinks reception for their guests, which included their first dance and speeches.
They had sent guests champagne for the reception to their homes in advance.
Jann said: “It was nice being just us, it felt very intimate. One of our witnesses live streamed the service so our friends and family could watch.
“It was a lovely wedding and the chapel is beautiful, although it did feel surreal getting married where we work, and in a hospital.
“St Thomas’ is such a special place to us both, and especially to me, having been here for the last six years. Now there is an extra reason why it’s so important to us.”
Annalan, an acute medical registrar who has been working at St Thomas’ for one year, added: “Jann and I wanted to get married from the moment I proposed.
“We’re so happy that we have been able to commit ourselves to one another and that the hospital has been able to support us to do that.”
Jann added: “We had a beautiful wedding day which we will always remember. It was a nice thing to happen in the middle of an anxious time.”
