A COUPLE who staged a raunchy wedding photo outside a Cyprus church have waded into a row that saw a ban on Brit weddings in Greece over a similar snap.

Mark and Samantha Simons tied the knot earlier this year - setting up the cheeky shot at sunset.

3 The couple said they had taken the cheeky photo for a laugh Credit: The Sun

After staging a similar photo, their fellow Brits Matthew and Carly Lunn sparked a ban on foreign marriages at a church on the island of Rhodes.

But Lincolnshire mum and dad Mark and Samantha say they don't see what all the fuss is about.

Speaking to the Sun Online, Samantha said the pic was her idea, saying: "I just thought it was a funny photo.

"It's a really funny idea. It's not for the kids or grandkids, but it's a bit of a laugh."

3 The couple tied the knot after 11 years together Credit: The Sun

She added: "It's not one for above the mantelpiece, it's just a light-hearted photo."

Samantha said she was shocked to see the controversy around the other similar photo, shot in Greece, saying: "It's not everybody's cup of tea but it's just a photo."

The mum-of-two said her own mother and grandmother had seen the pic - and thought it was hilarious.

The 29-year-old said the photo had been taken at their destination wedding, with the sun setting and no one around.

The couple had even organised pants for Mark, 34, that read: "Property of Mrs Simons".

3 The picture of Carly Lunn and new husband Matthew prompted outrage amongst the local community Credit: FACEBOOK/Carly Lunn

After 11 years together, the couple finally said "I do" in Cyprus in May this year.

They had got engaged in a horse and cart ride in Bruges at Christmas time in 2015.

But other couples aren't so light-hearted about the x-rated photo, which has seen Bishop Kyrillos ban all foreign weddings from St Paul in Rhodes.

Giorgos Eleftheriou, president of the local Lindos community in Rhodes, made the decision to bar foreign weddings after the snap went viral.

He told The Times: “I have hundreds of soon-to-be brides from Britain and all over the world calling me today in tears because of this decision.

“We are Greek and we cherish our traditions and the sanctity of our religious sites. We cannot allow this disgusting behaviour to prevail.”

Carly, 34, had described the shot as "a brilliant wedding photo" that reflected the couple's cheeky sense of humour - but it could have ruined hundreds more brides' big days.