Two lifeboat men who were celebrating a wedding were forced dash off after receiving an emergency alert mid-ceremony.
A pictured posted by a lifeboat station’s page caught the moment Luke Gist and Jamie Dawkins arrived in a suit and tie after receiving the emergency signal.
The men from Clovelly Lifeboat Station in Devon had been at Luke’s sister’s wedding when their pager was alerted to an incident.
The pair soon dashed back to the station to strip off the wedding gear and change into the dry suits before rushing to the scene.
The incident happened on Saturday, September 18, where a woman is thought to have fallen over on the rocks and sustained severe injuries.
Posting a before and after picture, the lifeboat station said: “When the pagers go off, it doesn’t matter who’s wedding you’re at.
“Luckily these weren’t the groom!”
Describing the sequence of events, Luke said: “Me and Jamie were attending my sister’s wedding at Woolsery church where my son Noah was a pager boy alongside his cousin.
“We had a just watched them walk down the aisle and warming up our voices to the first Hymn ‘All Creatures Great and small’ when the pagers started to sing a song of their own.
“We arrived at the station and me and Jamie alongside two crew helped the coastguard team carry a female with an injury to her ankle off a pebble bank that was soon to be covered by the incoming tide.
“On returning to the wedding we had missed the whole ceremony.
“Luckily my new brother in law is a fireman and my sister a First Responder so the sound of a pager ruining a family occasion isn’t out of the norm.
“Everyone at the station wish the female casualty a speedy recovery.”
Simon Best, whose wife was saved by the crew, commented on Facebook to thank the wedding guests.
He said: “Hey guys, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for coming out the wedding to assist my wife today, who fell on the rocks.
“Your support was amazing.
“She has a broken ankle and significant ligament damage and is having surgery tomorrow morning.
“Luckily the drugs are working and she’s feeling ok.
“Thanks again and hope you get to enjoy the rest of the wedding and the celebrations tonight.”
