‘The wedding was perfect but Covid ruined my honeymoon’

This Queensland couple got lucky when it came to their big day but the honeymoon was over before it even started.

2 min read

September 3, 2021 - 9:00AM

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Claire Shanahan and James Mortimer got lucky when it came to their wedding, which was held 48 hours before Brisbane went into a lockdown.

The pandemic did, however, cause havoc with their honeymoon, with Claire’s job as a registered nurse meaning she couldn’t take immediate leave.

“We haven’t had a honeymoon yet,” Claire says.

“Covid vaccines landed at my work the week before our wedding which meant we had to put a honeymoon on hold.”

Wedding of Claire Shanahan and James Mortimer. Picture: Chris Jack Photography

The couple from Cornubia in Logan have been together for three years, after they met on a night out at the Gold Coast.

They are proud parents of three fur babies – border collie Nala and beagles Toby and Bella – who were there for the big day.

They married on March 27 this year at St Matthews Church at Cornubia, followed by a reception for 80 guests at Sirromet Winery in Mount Cotton.

They danced their first dance to a cover of Crowded House’s Fall at your Feet by Boy & Bear.

Fur babies at the wedding of Claire Shanahan and James Mortimer. Picture: Chris Jack Photography

How did he propose?

James and I went on holidays to Dubai and Greece in 2019. It was an amazing surprise proposal on our one year anniversary on a private beach on the Greek island of Zakynthos.

What was the standout moment of your wedding day?

The day was filled so many standout moments. However, the walk down the aisle, for both of us was the most special moment. First Class Pet Wedding attendants made it possible to have our dogs with us on the big day, which was very special.

What would you do differently?

Claire: It was such an emotion-filled day. I lost my mum five years ago, but her presence was definitely with us the whole day and everything unfolded exactly as planned and was even better than we could have imagined.

Wedding of Claire Shanahan and James Mortimer. Picture: Chris Jack Photography

Best advice for other couples planning a wedding?

We were engaged for 18 months before our wedding so we had had lots of time to plan and didn’t feel rushed to make decisions. Going to wedding expos, menu and cake tastings are great experiences to do together and have fun while making decisions.

Etsy will be your best friend for seating charts, signage and stationery.

Did Covid-19 postpone your wedding?

We picked our date before Covid and are so grateful we did.

We didn’t have to postpone. We had our wedding on the Saturday after a week of rain (it was full sunshine on our day) and then Brisbane unfortunately entered lockdown again on the Monday.