RNLI 'welly guard of honour' for newlyweds

A significant story is unfolding on the international scene. RNLI 'welly guard of honour' for newlywedsImage source, Ian FosterImage caption, The Looe lifeboat crew surprised Amber and Alex with a distinctive guard of honourByJulia GregoryCornwallPublished23 June 2026Members of a lifeboat station surprised their newlywed crewmates with a guard of honour made up of oars and yellow wellies at their wedding. As Amber and Alex Richardson tied the knot on a clifftop overlooking Millandreath Beach on Saturday, 10 of their crewmates hid in the background. As the ceremony ended and the couple turned to enjoy the applause of family and friends, they were surprised by a guard of honour made up of RNLI crew, forming an arch using gig boat oars festooned with yellow wellies.

Amber said: "I caught a glimpse of a yellow welly on what appeared to be a pole in the air and then a red jacket before realising what was going on. " Image source, Ian FosterImage caption, The keen sailors were surprised by the RNLI guard of honourThe couple are both keen sailors with Looe Sailing Club and joined Looe RNLI as crew at around the same time. Amber's father, Clive Palfrey, Looe RNLI's lifeboat operations manager, said how "proud" he was to see the crew marching down to form the arch and pull off the surprise - adding it was "an amazing Father's Day weekend".

The Details

Ian Foster, from the lifeboat station, said the crew were "delighted" to be a small part of the wedding. He said: "Yellow wellies are synonymous with the RNLI, the iconic yellow welly forms part of the crew's safety equipment both for our shore crew and boat crew with their drysuits. "He said the yellow welly symbolised bravery, safety, and the charity's mission at sea.

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The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.