Italian couple marry amid rubble of town hit by magnitude 6.2 earthquake

The quake killed at least 291 people and displaced 2,500

A member of the emergency services walks past a damaged church on August 26, 2016 in San Lorenzo a Flaviano, Italy. (Getty Images)

An Italian couple married on Sunday, four days after part of their church was destroyed by the 6.2-magnitude earthquake which killed 291 people.

Ramon and Martina Adazzi married outside the building, amid piles of rubble, in the town of Acquasanta Terme, near to the epicentre of last Wednesday's quake.

The earthquake flattened entire villages, displacing 2,500 and leaving the country in a state of emergency.

Mr and Ms Adazzi had been planning their wedding for more than a year when the disaster happened, and wanted to go ahead despite extensive damage to their town.

However, their celebrant refused to let them marry inside, as the church's altar was covered in debris, the walls had cracked, and the 16th-century frescoes had torn open and crumbled.

“When Don Giovanni said the church was not safe, I told my wife: I want to celebrate my wedding there [in Acquasanta Terme] because they need a moment to think of other things now,” Mr Adazzi told CNN on the day of the wedding.

“I love the city. I love the people. Why would I take my wedding to another city?” he said.

The couple, who had invited dozens of friends from all over the world, eventually decided to marry outside their church, despite ongoing aftershocks.

“Of course I was worried and nervous. And I didn’t want to create even more problems for the village,” Ms Adazzi said. “But everyone has been so wonderful and welcoming.”