Paige and Rob – the “Blue light” couple on winning the wedding of their dreams

On Valentine’s Day, we share Paige and Rob’s story of meeting while both responding to an emergency call-out, falling in love, responding on the frontline during the pandemic and winning their dream wedding.  

London Ambulance Service paramedic Paige Stride and Metropolitan police officer Rob Wilkins met three years ago while responding to a call to a patient in a fast-food restaurant. The couple quickly fell in love and since then have been balancing their shift patterns and more recently the challenges of working on the frontline during the pandemic.

The couple – who have a combined 12 years of service on the frontline in the capital – received some happy news this year after sharing their story with a wedding venue who were looking for key workers who’d had their wedding plans affected by the pandemic: that they would be gifted their dream wedding, worth £20,000 from London wedding venue Regent’s Conferences & Events.

Coincidentally this venue is a stone’s throw from where Paige and Rob first met.

Paige said:

“We have both been blown away by the support shown by our friends, family and colleagues from the emergency services. Winning and being recognised as deserving such an incredibly special venue for the day, we can’t believe we get to marry our soulmate so close to where we met, in front of all of our colleagues and family.”

Rob added:

“Working on the frontline this year has been a challenge. While it has been incredibly tough, it has also brought out the best in us and society at large in many ways, from looking after our neighbours to clapping for the NHS. We have all worked hard to support each other in ways we can.

“We have both worked insanely hard in order to protect and care for each other wherever we can, and we are so grateful to Regent’s for allowing us to celebrate our big day in a way we never otherwise would have been able to.”

On the decision to offer the wedding to Paige and Rob, Rafael Azzopardi, Conference and Events Manager at Regent’s said:

“After hundreds of humbling accounts from couples across the country, we are absolutely delighted to be able to offer such a special gift to a truly deserving couple. It’s been fantastic to see the recognition and tributes to so many emergency workers, charities and hard working volunteers, but we wanted to find a way of giving back with a measurable thank you to a couple who particularly deserve it, and Paige and Rob are that couple. The team were very moved by all the stories that were recounted and the final decision was tougher than we’d imagined.

“The emotional and financial implications for many during COVID-19, as well as the physical ones, have been vast and we’re so excited to deliver the dream day for a lovely couple who were let down by 2020 but have remained positive, committed and an honourable representation of the emergency services. We can’t wait to welcome Paige, Rob and 100 of their closest family and friends for a day to remember once restrictions are lifted.”