A COUPLE who thought they would have to postpone their wedding plans because of the war in Iraq are preparing for their big day.

Mark Schofield and Natalie Wilson-Lee had planned to have their dream wedding in Sri Lanka next month.

But the couple, who both serve in an army medical regiment, were sent to the Gulf at the start of the conflict.

Mark, of Spennymoor, said: "We were devastated, not about going away, but about missing the wedding." The 23-year-old spent the war in Kuwait and his 21-year-old fiancee was posted to a prisoner of war camp near the Iraqi border.

He said: "It wasn't too bad for me, but Natalie saw a lot more. The really bad part was being apart from each other for a couple of months.

"Luckily everything finished a lot quicker than we thought and we got the chance to come back.

"There was talk they were going to try and send us back even if the regiment was still out there, but it didn't come to that.

"Now we can't wait for the wedding. We're really looking forward to it."

The couple, who met while serving in Austria three years ago, will be married in Sri Lanka on July 4, followed by a honeymoon in the Maldives.

When they return they are holding a reception in Spennymoor Town Hall on July 19.