How Rowley Regis couple’s saucy snap resulted in wedding ban
A couple branded 'scum' after an x-rated photo taken at a Greek chapel could result in thousands of couples having to change their wedding plans are from the Black Country, it has been revealed.
Matthew and Carly Lunn's saucy snap, said to have been taken as a joke, has caused a storm on the holiday island of Rhodes - with religious leaders less than impressed by the newlyweds' antics.
All foreign weddings have now been banned at St Pauls Bay Chapel after an official said he was disgusted by the image, which was posted online.
The couple, from Rowley Regis, have found themselves at the centre of a storm, with some furious bride and grooms-to-be even threatening to sue after their wedding plans were thrown into chaos.
One woman revealed her £40,000 wedding could be cancelled.
Matthew, aged 27, called the ban 'madness' and said it had been 'blown out of proportion'.
The photo showed new wife Carly, 34, simulating a sex act on him.
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Matthew, a car breakdown firm worker, admitted the couple now regretted taking the photo after it went viral and was viewed around the world, prompting a hardline response from insulted locals in Rhodes.
Matthew said: “It’s been blown out of proportion.
“We were just pretending and having a laugh. The Greeks have completely over-reacted.
“We don’t think we did anything wrong but we regret it and wish we hadn’t bothered.
“The ban’s madness. This has caused us all sorts of hassle.”
Carly said: “It was something we said we’d do for a joke.
"We expected a lot of laughs and jokes from people, but didn’t expect it to be as popular as it was.
"People back in England were commenting on it, the whole thing went mad."
Giorgos Eleftheriou, president of the local Lindos community in Rhodes, who enforced the ban, said: “I have hundreds of soon-to-be brides from Britain and all over the world calling me today in tears because of this decision.
“We are Greek and we cherish our traditions and the sanctity of our religious sites. We cannot allow this disgusting behaviour to prevail.
"Shame on those two for the damage they have done. Would they have done the same in their homeland; in front of a British chapel, a Jewish temple, a Muslim mosque?”
It is believed the couple have deleted their Facebook profiles due to the backlash over the snap.
The chapel, situated in a picturesque bay on the south east of the island, is described as 'the perfect location for couples looking for an open-air wedding with a view' on one travel website.
