A couple forced to postpone their wedding due to coronavirus hosted their own ceremony using 115 chocolate bunnies they had bought for guests.

Mark Burton, 32, and his fiancée Frankie Lewis, 28, were due to get married on 4 April but had to put the big day on hold.

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Dearly beloved - the chocolaty 'congregation' 

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Two-by-two - they lined up to get into the ark

They decided to host a “bunny wedding” for the 115 chocolate bunnies they had bought their guests as wedding favours.

Mark, from Rayleigh, and who works for a data science company, said: “While working from home on some pretty weird hours, we have an abundance of two things - bunnies and time.

“So we decided to stage some recreations - mainly to stop us just scoffing the whole lot of them. Obvious one first - bunny wedding.”

Frankie fashioned some outfits for the bride and groom and even made a tiny order of service for the registrar.

The former Westcliff High School for Boys pupil added: “It’s a bit awkward that all the guests are wearing the same as the bride but it didn’t cause a big scene, thankfully.”

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Happy couple - Mark fiancée Frankie

He posted the photos on Twitter and people went mad for the idea.

One user said: “Dude, you're going to make a great husband with that zany sense of humour...In lockdown in Spain and you just made us giggle.”

Another replied: “If I was trapped in my house with 115 choc bunnies...well by now I would be trapped in my house with 2 or 3 choc bunnies.”

After receiving thousands of likes, Mark later posted more photos of the bunnies lined up to board an ark.

He added: “As tradition dictates, the animals went two by two. And as the government dictates, they maintained a safe social distance of two bunny metres at all times.”

Since the bunny wedding, the couple said the chocolate animals have been staying in shape by doing some yoga with Frankie outside.

They have also hosted their own bunny Olympics.

Mark added: “Continuing the really tenuous theme of recreating things which have been postponed, the Olympics may have been moved, but the bunny Olympics were a roaring success.

“It wasn’t the fastest sprint nor the longest javelin throw, but they gave it their all.”

The couple, who live and work in Thailand but had come home to the UK to get married, hope to wed in April next year.