THE guests were in place and the bride and groom were ready to say ‘I do’ – so it was a case of getting the in-laws to the wedding on time.

A slight hitch meant the wedding of Portland couple Ian Gale and Emma Redgwell had to be delayed by more than half an hour because Ian’s parents Jenny and Ray got stuck in a lift.

Firefighters were called to the wedding venue, the Mulberry Centre in Weymouth, to release Jenny and Ray so they could attend the service.

“We heard it wasn’t going to be a conventional wedding and we were proved right,” joked wheelchair user Jenny, 62.

The service went ahead on Saturday after which the happy couple and their guests enjoyed a reception at the Kimberlin Club on Portland.

Retired nurse Jenny explained how she and Ray, 64, travelled from Southampton to be at their son’s wedding.

She said: “We got lost in Weymouth’s new one-way system so we arrived a bit late.

“Ray pushed me to the door in my chair and we saw Emma waiting outside. She waved us in and we headed for the lift.

“The lift went up but then it stopped suddenly and the button started flashing.

“We couldn’t open the door so we pressed the alarm.

“There wasn’t a lot of room and it was claustrophobic but I think Ray panicked more than I did.”

She added: “We heard voices outside and people banging on the doors. Someone said the fire brigade had been called which was surprising because I didn’t think it was that bad.

“I kept on saying to carry on with the service but they wanted us out first.

“Apparently, we were just a few feet below the level we needed to get off at. We were a bit shell-shocked when the firemen opened the doors and everyone was there. The firemen were brilliant.”

Ian, 38, and Emma, 33, who both work as cleaners and live in Courtlands on Portland said it would definitely be a day to remember.

Ian said: “It was a bit of a drama but we laughed about it.”