Guests dig deep to rescue wedding

A London couple's wedding was saved from disaster - by a supermarket buffet, a stitched-up pig and some lettuce from the bride's mother's allotment.

Jessica Summerfield and Simon Collis faced seeing their big day ruined after the caterers vanished with just hours to go and 120 guests - some flying in from around the world - to feed.

But family, friends and local firms rallied round with a salvage operation and produced a banquet of their own. It saw the mother of the bride, Bridget Syms, picking lettuces from her vegetable patch by torchlight at 5am.

The 32-year-olds, who both work at London law firms, got engaged on Boxing Day and planned their reception at Voewood house in High Kelling, Norfolk, a stunning example of the Arts and Crafts movement. They hired Norfolk-based caterers Just Foods.

Mrs Syms, of Holt in Norfolk, said: "They had a good website, 30 years' experience and some good reviews. But at 3pm on Friday, the day before the wedding, the cold-food trailer did not turn up. There were no replies on the phone and when we looked at the website it said they had ceased trading due to ill-health. We could not believe it."

The news left Jessica in tears and Simon devastated. Mrs Syms said: "We started hitting the phones looking for a plan B, otherwise it would have been us having champagne and packets of crisps, with no chairs to sit on."

At award-winning farm shop Back To The Garden, staff worked late to stitch a butchery-bound pig back together for a hog roast, with organic vegetables and rhubarb and custard.

Banqueting Hire Services reopened to deliver tables, chairs, cutlery and linen by 7.30pm. The Dereham branch of Tesco had a buffet for 120 people ready by 8pm. Forty people helped prepare for the event, working until 2am. Mrs Syms added: "At 5am I was picking lettuces in the dark using a torch. I want to thank all who helped. This could not have gone ahead without the kindness of strangers."

Simon, a lawyer, and Jessica, a human resources manager, are now on honeymoon in Honolulu. Just Foods director Darrell Bethell said he stopped trading due to ill-health and bereavement and had emailed customers, but the one to the wedding had failed to get through.