Hurricane delays couple's wedding

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An engaged couple have postponed their wedding on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula after they and their guests were caught up in Hurricane Dean.

Lee Bishop and Gayle Harper, who live in Newport, were spending the night before today's planned ceremony in a school after their hotel was evacuated.

Ms Harper's parents' flight to Cancun was cancelled as the jet waited on the runway at Gatwick Airport.

The ceremony is now planned for Sunday when the guests are due to be gathered.

Dean was a Category Five hurricane, the highest level, when it made landfall in Mexico and Belize, with winds of 165mph gusting up to 200mph.

We've had a mini adventure, just being under the arms of God and the elements Dean Bishop

It later weakened to Category One but not before the Mexican government had declared a state of emergency.

Mr Bishop, who is a petty officer with the Royal Navy, has helped with hurricane relief in this region before in 1998 during Hurricane Mitch in Honduras.

He said the beach front Cancun hotel where he and nine other members of his party were staying was evacuated the day before he and Ms Harper, who is from Swindon. were due to marry.

The Mexico government declared a state of emergency as Dean hit

He said hotel guests spent the day and night at a local junior school which had just "basic amenities."

"It was an experience in itself. There were about 18 people to each little classroom," he said.

Mr Bishop added: "We actually took the sun bed loungers, the foam mattresses that go on the seating around the pool, and that was our bedding for the evening.

"We took some pillows and we took some sheets, and that's how we spent the night. "

"Unfortunately, my fiancee' s mother and father, were sat on the plane at Gatwick, about to taxi, and the Mexico government said [there were] no more planes allowed because of the impending hurricane."

He said his best man and his girlfriend and two other people were also delayed by the hurricane.

'Incredible'

He said: "The hotel have kindly said they will put our wedding back, so were hoping for that to take place on Sunday. It's very important for us to have our full party with us."

Despite the disruption and delays, Mr Bishop said their holiday had been a "mini adventure".

He said: "A couple of members of our party said, you know there's going to be weddings which come and go, and this one will never be forgotten.

"We've had a mini adventure, just being under the arms of God and the elements.

"From what we experienced last night, in terms of weather, it was absolutely incredible."