A BRIDE who works at an escape room had no choice but to attempt to escape her wedding venue, after accidently being locked in.

Hannah Richardson, 29, who works at a care home as well as the Red Herring escape rooms in Carlisle, married Mark Richardson on June 1.

The couple met seven years ago while she was shopping at Debenhams in the city, and he was working. They hit it off immediately.

Mark and Hannah Richardson on their wedding dayMark and Hannah Richardson on their wedding day (Image: Rachel Laidler Photography)

The now Mrs Richardson said she later moved from her home city of Newcastle to Carlisle to live with Mark, and they soon welcomed their daughter Lillie, now aged five, to the world.

Hannah said she began work at the escape rooms as a casual thing after her friend started, thinking she was more than capable of leading escapes for guests.

But on her wedding day, she had to put that to the test, and escape herself.

She said Simon Watson, Red Herring’s manager, who attended the wedding, used the company van to take the bridesmaids to the tithe barn in Carlisle from Lady Gilford’s House, the registry office.

Bride and bridesmaidsBride and bridesmaids (Image: Rachel Laidler Photography)

As everyone left, she and Mark found themselves locked in.

“We didn’t know who to ring – we tried ringing the registry office but they were closed.

“I rang 101 and I explained the situation.

Hannah, Mark, and Lillie RichardsonHannah, Mark, and Lillie Richardson (Image: Rachel Laidler Photography)

“I said ‘this is going to sound really funny’, and they (the police) sent me a reference number that said ‘happy wedding day’ at the end.”

She was about to attempt climbing over the fence in her wedding dress, but thankfully a nearby resident came to the rescue with a step ladder.

While this event may have annoyed some couples, she said they found the funny side, as they usually do, and laughed about the whole thing, while someone from the registry office apologised.

In the end, they were only delayed about 15 minutes. “Apparently, people didn’t believe that we got stuck at first," she said.

“We rang Mark’s mum and then the DJ announced that we were going to be a bit late.

“It definitely made the day a bit more special, and it was the only thing to kind of go wrong.”

They have recently come back from their honeymoon in Blackpool, where they enjoyed going on the rollercoasters, and visiting Sea Life and the zoo.