An IT consultant has revealed he undertook a series of “crazy challenges” on his wedding day in Russia which included having to disarm a fake bomb.

Ian Taylor, 38, of Colewood Road, Swalecliffe near Whitstable, married bride Natalia Stegantseva, 33, this month after he popped the question at the Whitstable Oyster Festival concealing an engagement ring in an oyster shell.

The couple met over a coffee at Gatwick Airport before they embarked on a year-long relationship dividing their time between Whitstable and Moscow.

The decision to wed in a traditional Russian ceremony was the best of his life according to Mr Taylor, as family and friends flew out to celebrate the couple’s big day.

Hours before tying the knot, Mr Taylor passed several challenges, which included posing for pictures with strangers, sending musical instruments to the wedding and singing English nursery rhymes in Russian costumes.

The craziest involved a stern-looking policeman who ordered him to disarm a bomb placed in a suitcase as part of an elaborate prank.

Ian said: “This policeman was in actual fact our good friend Sergei, playing his part in my challenges.

“He held up my picture, asked me to confirm my name in Russian, Ivan Portnov being its literal translation before leading me to a bench outside the flat.

“I was then given a suitcase which I opened up to find a fake bomb inside, with a very convincing timer ticking away.

“With help from my Svideteli, we managed to unscrew the right wire and stop the bomb with 20 seconds to spare.

“We had made the early decision that it would be a Russian wedding, following the Russian traditions, after all when in Rome do as the Romans do, and I’m pleased to say it was probably the best decision of my life.

“It was a fantastic experience, our guests have all since spoken about what a wonderful night it was, the drink flowed freely, the Russians drank the English under the table and everyone ate lovely food and had a good time.”

“The service itself was very simple, and with Natasha squeezing my hand at the right moment, I managed to say yes in the right place.

“The service was completely in Russian so I was reliant on both Natasha and a great deal of common sense to make sure it went smoothly.

“I was then given a suitcase which I opened up to find a fake bomb inside, with a very convincing timer ticking away" - groom Ian Taylor

“We then signed the papers and exchanged our rings before being presented to our guests as Mr and Mrs Taylor in Russian.”

The couple were also interviewed by Russian TV during the ceremony, adding to the already surreal experience.

Ian added: “Inside the wedding palace, the crazy day continued as the lady registrar was obviously expecting us.

“She immediately went away and spoke to somebody else and five minutes, a television crew from a Russian Federal channel arrived to interview us.

“Whilst it's not uncommon in these modern times for Russians to marry outside their own country, I understood it was still something of a rarity for an Englishman to travel to Moscow and marry, so we appeared to be something of a curiosity to this television crew.”