Amesbury couple tie the knot on their shared 50th birthday
The pair won't have any excuses for forgetting their anniversary!
Laura Brown and Guy Eatherington met online three years ago, and got engaged a year ago, but decided to make their 50th birthdays extra special by also getting married in their living room!
The couple wore full wedding attire and live-streamed the ceremony to family just over a week ago (Friday 29th January).
A friend acted as the celebrant, in front of their four children from previous marriages and with their cockapoo acting as ring bearer.
They first got chatting on the internet about Type 1 diabetes, as two of their children have the condition - but the similarities just kept coming!
When Laura, who's the Deputy Head at Clarendon Infants' School in Tidworth, told Guy her date of birth, they couldn't quite believe, as Guy explains:
"I said to her, you're not going to believe this so I'm not going to tell you - I'm just going to send you a photo of my passport. I'm not a believer of horoscopes but it's amazing how well we matched at every level right from the start, considering we'd gone from being two complete strangers."
Guy moved from Devon to be with Laura and says they were really keen to make their day extra special:
"We'd always planned to get married on our birthday. It's not often that you both turn 50, so we weren't going to let lockdown stop us from having our wedding."
The couple have had a civil partnership due to the current lockdown rules, and will have another ceremony when restrictions allow.
SUPPORTING CHARITY TOO
The wedding was photographed by Amesbury's Simon Ward, who did the honours as part of his 'Doorstep Snaps' campaign that's been running throughout the pandemic.
He's been getting out across South Wiltshire taking pictures of households on their doorsteps as a way of documenting lockdowns, but also raising money for charity.
For every snap taken, Simon asked people to donate to Julia's House children's hospice and the Stars Appeal at Salisbury District Hospital.
Guy and Laura donated £100 to the charities and said:
"The support and care that these charities provide to children and families in need is so important. We heard about Doorstep Snaps and we just felt that this was a really easy way for us to give something back to the local children's charities making a big difference."
Nicky Clack, Julia's House Fundraising Assistant, said:
"We were so delighted to hear of Laura and Guy's unlikely love story and moment of joy in the midst of lockdown, and our congratulations go to them and their family. We'd also like to say thank you for their kind donation to Julia's House, which will help us to continue our vital care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families in the heart of the Wiltshire community, helping them stay safe and well at home."
DOORSTEP SNAPS A HUGE SUCCESS
More than 150 families and businesses have taken part in the Doorsteps Snaps fundraiser since last year, and Simon's now drawn it to a close.
He's raised a total of £4,365 for the two charities in total and said it's been a fun project:
"Doorstep Snaps has given people the opportunity to do something different during the monotony of lockdown and have a photographic reminder of the year that was 2020. A little piece of history to look back on in the years to come, whilst helping to support Julia's House and the Stars Appeal - two fantastic local charities whose fundraising activities had been decimated due to the Covid-19 pandemic."