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Man called Thomas Cook has dream wedding ruined after namesake holiday firm's collapse

Victoria Bell
Updated
A man called Thomas Cook has been left "shattered" as his Greek wedding in Rhodes looks unlikely to go ahead after the holiday firm of the same name collapsed. (Facebook)
Thomas Cook and his fiance Amelia, pictured left, may have their dream wedding cancelled following the firm's collapse. (Facebook)

A man called Thomas Cook may have his £10,000 dream wedding cancelled after the holiday firm he shares a name with collapsed.

Thomas Cook, 29, and his partner Amelia Binch, 27, have been “stuck in limbo” on the island of Rhodes, Greece, after travelling there on a getaway and wedding package with Thomas Cook.

The Nottingham couple flew out on September 18 and had been due to marry at the Lindos Princess hotel on September 27.

Almost half of the guests were due to fly out with the firm, which declared bankruptcy last night, over the coming days, including the best man.

Thomas, 29, and his partner Amelia Binch, 27, are currently in Rhodes, Greece on a £10,000 dream holiday which was set to include their wedding on September 27.
Thomas, 29, and his partner Amelia Binch, 27, are currently in Rhodes, Greece on a £10,000 dream holiday that was to have included their wedding on September 27. (Facebook)

But the couple have been told the wedding might not go ahead, as the Thomas Cook package included the wedding ceremony, flowers, cake, decorations and entertainment.

The pair, who have two young daughters together, Alice, five, and Lucy, seven, had flown out from East Midlands Airport with their parents and close family to spend time in the sun ahead of their big day.

They were due to fly home on October 3, but they have been told to be on standby as they could be called to the airport any day.

The couple have spent nearly £10,000 on the trip.

Guests, including the best man, were set to join them at the Lindos Princess hotel over the next few days on Thomas Cook flights. (Facebook)
Guests, including the best man, were set to join them at the Lindos Princess hotel over the next few days on Thomas Cook flights. (Facebook)

There are currently more than 150,000 British customers on Thomas Cook holidays abroad – nearly twice the number repatriated after the collapse of Monarch in 2017.

An estimated 1 million more have lost their future bookings.

Mr Cook, who works for Rolls-Royce, said: "Thomas Cook promised us a surprise on our wedding because of my name but this was not the surprise we were expecting.

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"I am just devastated. We have got 30-plus friends and family coming out, half are stuck at home in limbo. My best man is still in England. No one here knows anything.

"I have been planning this for two years and it has all gone to pot. We have paid for everything. It is shattering. We don't know what we can do.

British tourists wait in a queue at the Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport in Corfu island, northwestern Greece, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded across the world Monday after British tour company Thomas Cook collapsed, immediately halting almost all its flights and hotel services and laying off all its employees. (Stamatis Katopodis/InTime News via AP)
British tourists wait in a queue at the Ioannis Kapodistrias Airport in Corfu island, Greece, as hundreds of thousands of travellers are stranded in destinations across the world. (AP)
PETERBOROUGH, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 23: Workers exit the Thomas Cook Headquarters on September 23, 2019 in Peterborough, United Kingdom. The collapse of the 178-year-old travel firm triggered a massive repatriation effort, as the British Civil Aviation Authority chartered aircraft to bring around 150,000 travelers back to the UK. The firm's closure also jeopardized 22,000 jobs worldwide, including 9,000 in the UK. (Photo by Darren Staples/Getty Images)
Workers exit Thomas Cook HQ after the collapse of the 178-year-old travel firm triggered a massive repatriation effort. (Getty Images)

Miss Binch, a beauty therapist, added: "It is costing us nearly £10,000 and we are sat here stressed out. We don't know if we are getting married.

"I had a collapsed lung before I came and I got the all-clear. It just seems like one thing after the other. We are ATOL-protected but it is an absolute nightmare.”

British government officials assist Thomas Cook passengers after the collapse of the travel firm, at Malta International Airport, Malta September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi
A British government official assists Thomas Cook passengers after the collapse of the travel firm, at Malta International Airport. (Reuters)
British passengers wait for news on cancelled Thomas Cook flights at Palma de Mallorca airport on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. Spain's airport operator AENA says that 46 flights have been affected by the collapse of the British tour company Thomas Cook, mostly in the Spanish Balearic and Canary archipelagos. (AP Photo/Francisco Ubilla)
British passengers wait for news on cancelled Thomas Cook flights at Palma de Mallorca Airport this morning. (AP)

The couple, who have been together for 12 years, chose the location because they wanted to get married abroad and it was cheaper to marry in Rhodes than having a wedding in the UK.

Miss Binch said: "It's awful. You don't expect it to happen with a company like this. That's why we booked with them. It is now going to cost us more."

A statement on the Thomas Cook website said: "Thomas Cook UK Plc and associated UK entities have entered Compulsory Liquidation and are now under the control of the Official Receiver.

The service desk of British tour operator Thomas Cook is closed at Tegel airport in Berlin on September 23, 2019. - As British tour operator Thomas Cook declared bankruptcy, some 600,000 tourists from around Europe had their holidays disrupted. (Photo by Paul Zinken / dpa / AFP) / Germany OUT (Photo credit should read PAUL ZINKEN/AFP/Getty Images)
The closed service desk of Thomas Cook at Berlin Tegel airport after the firm declared bankruptcy. (Getty)

"The UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect and all future flights and holidays are cancelled.

"A dedicated support service is being provided by the Civil Aviation Authority to assist customers currently overseas and those in the UK with future bookings."