A MOUNT Helen couple raced down the aisle on Wednesday to beat Ballarat's sudden lockdown.
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Kaitlyn Cartledge and Jake Rogers attempted to tie the knot three times in the past year but COVID-19 lockdowns thwarted their plans.
The couple had postponed their wedding to this Saturday at Smeaton's Tuki Trout Farm after weddings were allowed with up to 10 people from last Friday.
Then with Wednesday's sudden lockdown announcement, the couple organised a snap wedding within three hours and they were married at the Buninyong Botanic Gardens at 4.30pm.
Ms Cartledge, 28, said she had a missed call from her mum at 12.30pm on Wednesday, followed by a text message saying Ballarat was going into lockdown and the wedding would have to be cancelled again.
"I was like, no we have to get it done, we have to sort it out," Ms Cartledge said.
"I got on the phone straight away to our celebrant, the photographer and florist just to see what we could achieve. We were lucky enough to get everyone on board so it was unreal."
About 10 guests, including the couple's immediate family attended the wedding ceremony. They then enjoyed a couple of drinks at the gardens before the newly married couple went home.
"It was great. It was honestly the most perfect day we could have asked for. We got KFC and pizza for tea," Ms Cartledge said.
Mr Rogers, 29, said if they did not get married on Wednesday, it would have been near-impossible to book a wedding in the next six to 12 months due to the demand.
"At least we are married, that's all we wanted," Mr Rogers said.
He said the couple would definitely hold the reception they were meant to have with all of their guests when restrictions allowed and it was safe to do so. Originally, there were 50 people invited to the wedding which was allowed six weeks ago.
The couple had known each other for eight years before tying the knot.
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