A Rutherglen couple have been left heartbroken after the third attempt to get married during the pandemic was again ripped from them on Friday, less than 24 hours before their vows.
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William Oats and Sue Lindupp thought their dream wedding was finally going to take place on Saturday after having to cancel twice in the past 12 months due to ever-changing coronavirus restrictions and border closures.
The pair, who have been together for 26 years, had just finished their rehearsal at Pfeiffer Wines when they got the news it was all over again.
"We said I do in our practice run and then they came down and told us - we are absolutely devastated," Mr Oats said.
"We were so close, we were almost there.
"The cake had been delivered, all our guests had arrived from Adelaide and Newcastle, they took time off work and everything.
"This is the third time we have tried since March 18 last year.
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"We thought we were there, we watched the news right up until 11.30am on Friday, the celebrant rang and they said it was to go ahead by the look of it and so did the winery."
A few hours later Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced a five-day state-wide lockdown meaning weddings could not go ahead.
"All our guests have had to turn around and go home again," Mr Oats said.
"A lot of them won't make it back now because they spent their money and leave getting here.
"We don't know whether to reset it again in a couple of months time or what to do."
Mr Oats said the winery and staff have been fantastic since the news, but he isn't sure how much they will be out of pocket.
"We just don't know," he said.
"The venue was already catered and paid for, it was all set ready to go.
"The wedding cake arrived at our house probably about half an hour after we heard about the lockdown.
"So that as a lot of money wasted."
A majority of the couple's 80 guests had already arrived for the wedding, with others getting the phone call as they were just about to leave for the weekend.
Mr Oats said it was still very raw for the pair when speaking to The Border Mail on Saturday, but there is a lot of frustration given the distance from Melbourne.
"We are as far away from Melbourne as you can get in this state and if the winery was just over the river there wouldn't be any problems," he said.
"If only we were professional tennis players then we might have been able to get married on a tennis court.
"That is where the frustration is. We are just really heartbroken."
