Wedding guests dressed in Wild West costumes send police into a frenzy

A couple from Leicestershire who celebrated renewing their vows with a cowboy and Indian themed reception got more than they bargained for when the police mistook one of the guests as a gunman.

Despite having warned the police several months in advance that they were planning a cowboy themed wedding, the police reacted to a tip-off from a member of the public who had seen one of the wedding guests walking down the street with a rifle, which was in fact plastic and part of the cowboy costume.

However a spokesperson for the police said they have to take any firearms reports very seriously.

As the couple left the church they were greeted by the sound of a police helicopter flying overhead. Thinking nothing of it they continued down the road to their reception venue. It was only then they realised the severity of the situation when they were faced with an armed police unit and sniffer dogs.

Friend of the couple, and landlady of the pub where the wedding reception was held, said it was obvious all 80 guests were in fancy dress adding, “You could tell it was a party and not a shoot-out.”

However the police warned that it is in fact an offence to carry a weapon in a public place, regardless of whether it is an imitation or not.

The couple had come up with the idea of a cowboy and Indian themed wedding reception as the groom is a big fan of Wild West films.