A fortnight's holiday in America had been in the planning for some time by two Island couples.

But, extending it by five days to include a wedding, was not on the cards.

“It all happened in a rush,” said bride Shelley Brend. “At the end of our stay in Orlando, we booked a flight to Las Vegas and decided to get married.”

Shelley, who has been with partner Jonathan Richies for six years, had not even considered getting married.

“It was a spur of the moment thing,” she said. “We just booked a flight to Las Vegas, extended our holiday by five days and arranged everything on the spot.

“We were able to hire our outfits, buy the rings and say 'I do’ all within two hours of making the decision.

“We were with Jonathan’s sister Louise Chubb and her husband Travis who were our witnesses. “Afterwards, we didn’t have a reception but went out gambling and won $200.”

Shelley, who works for Nationwide, Sheerness, and Jonathan, an electrician, had flown out with Louise and Travis to share a holiday home. We were having such a good time we wanted to extend our stay in America and opted for Vegas,” said Shelley.

“From there on everything became a blur.

“When the wedding was suggested and agreed, it meant Jonathan and I slipping out secretly to buy rings for each other.

“The wedding hire shop had exactly the right outfits, and everything, including our overall stay of nearly three weeks, clothes hire, rings and the ceremony itself cost just £2,000 – and we couldn’t be happier.”

The ceremony was at the Shalimar Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas, Nevada, on Friday, August 15.

Shelley and Jonathan live in Victoria Street, Sheerness.