Ash cloud wrecks 'dream wedding'

Kelly Ross and John Maginn were due to tie the knot on Monday, however, with the volcanic ash grounding flights the couple's colossal efforts to reach the venue ended in vain.

The Craigavon couple started out last Friday to try and get to America to tie the knot on a Florida beach on Monday.

However, as news broke of the volcanic ash cloud blowing across Europe and the disruption it was bringing to flights Kelly (27) and John (30) set off by car with their three-year-old son Taylor.

They drove to Dublin to get the ferry to Liverpool before John drove through the night to London's Gatwick airport to make the flight to Florida.

By the time they reached the airport the air traffic control authority had grounded all flights and with it John and Kelly's dream wedding, a year and a half of planning and thousands of pounds.

An exhausted Kelly spoke to the 'MAIL' as she neared the completion of her near thousand mile round trip.

"It's like a bad dream," said Kelly, "it doesn't feel real after all that planning.

"We are gutted, it has been a nightmare this past couple of days and it looks like we are going to lose the money for our Caribbean cruise.

"And Taylor thought he was getting to meet Mickey Mouse."

She went on: "We were told we may have had a better chance getting out of Gatwick than Belfast.

"So we drove for eight hours solid until we heard on the news that all the flights were cancelled, it was gutting."

Kelly's sister Adele said: "They are absolutely devastated.

"John and Kelly have been together for over six years and had been planning the wedding for the past year and a half - it was their dream.

"It's incredible, they should be married and enjoying their honeymoon instead they are driving back home."

After the ceremony the bride and groom-to-be were to take a three week honeymoon in Disney World followed by a cruise.

On their return a reception was organised for family and friends who could not attend the Stateside nuptials.

"On Monday they had to organise a last-minute wedding and have been lucky the Palace Stables are available," said friend Ann Marie.

"Her mother, who could not make the trip to Florida, will now have the opportunity to give her away.

"But they have spent over 7,500 and are not sure how much they are going to get refunded."

John, Kelly and Taylor were due to return to their Carrigart Manor home on Tuesday, having clocked up hundreds of miles on the road.

The eruption beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull glacier which began on March 20 created an ash cloud that forced airspace closures across northern Europe.

A small number of flights were allowed to take-off on Tuesday and all UK airports were given the green light to reopen yesterday (Wednesday).