Preston care home bride-to-be's surprise lockdown wedding celebration

The "family photo" - Rachel poses with colleagues from the Springfield Manor Gardens care home

Staff at the Springfield Manor Gardens care home on Garstang Road, Fulwood knew that the housekeeper faced major disappointment after her wedding and honeymoon were postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

They decided to create a unique birthday celebration with a nuptial theme to cheer her up.

A delighted Rachel got to don a wedding dress and walk down the aisle and had a first dance - even though the groom was nowhere to be seen.

Rachel Johnson and fiancee John Wilson - their marriage had to be postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic

Rachel, 29, was due to marry John Wilson, also 29, at St Michael's church in Much Hoole on May 2 and would have returned from a Mediterranean cruise honeymoon last Saturday.

She explained: "It started off it was my birthday as well...and it was, all right, we'll all do a bit of something for your birthday. We'll all bring food in."

Then a colleague asked her would she like to wear a wedding dress and they would do a special celebration:"One of the girls brought in her own wedding dress for me. It was really, really nice."

Two colleagues helped her get into the dress and she had a bridesmaid :"They tied it up at the back, like on the (real) day. I had to go the chapel.."

Time for a celebration waltz at the home where Rachel works as a housekeeper

To the sound of the popular Bruno Mars' hit song 'Marry You ' she walked down a specially laid red carpet:

Rachel said: "They said 'We've got you a bouquet' and passed me flowers to walk down with. They were all sitting just like it would be in church and smiling and everything. There was a big chair at the end. I went and sat it in with my bouquet and they all cheered and clapped and took some pictures and then we had a buffet."

Rachel picked the song 'Lady in Red' for her first dance, as her loaned dress had a white skirt and red bodice.

She danced with a colleague and then within minutes all the watching staff were invited up to join in. A few residents also joined the memorable party, including one nicknamed "nana" who had previously taught Rachel how to waltz.

Rachel getting the red carpet treatment as she walks down the aisle in the home's chapel

She said: "We did a dance together. It was lovely."

The final detail was a special birthday cake, which Rachel cut as she would her wedding cake.

When she got home and told her fiancee he was as surprised as she had been. She said: "He couldn't believe it. He thought it was absolutely fantastic - so lovely of everybody. He said he wished he could have been there ... it's cheered you up."

But he did have a special question for Rachel: "He said how did it feel when you got down the aisle and I wasn't there?"

You ARE going to get married - Rachel and John with special gifts from Rachel's colleagues

She said: "I said to the girls I feel I've had my practise now. I might not be so nervous on the day."

The couple, whose home is in Preston, are hoping to reschedule the wedding for next April or May. Rachel added: "I had all my stuff ready , all my wedding favours ... We'll do it another time. It's something to look forward to. There are a lot worse things going on. People getting ill and everything. In the scheme of things it's not so bad."