A MATCH made in sunny Spain drew England hat trick hero Sir Geoff Hurst out of retirement to kick off the nuptials for a Handforth bride last week.
Geoff, who remains close to the hearts of all English football fans after scoring three goals in the 1966 World Cup, was at the wedding of close friend Michael Metcalf Hone when he married Handforth sweetheart Claire Campbell.
The couple who enjoy a glamorous lifestyle counting pop stars and other celebrities among their intimate friends met on the Costa Del Sol five years ago.
And guests joining Sir Geoff at the glitzy wedding included rock star Kim Wilde, West End stage stars, Andrew Kennedy and Paul Darnell, English Opera singers Ted Hands and Kate Mooney and Ryan Warner of the Orange Tree Band.
Michael, an Irish property tycoon met Claire, 29, when she was working for an international property company in Spain.
It was love at first sight and Michael soon persuaded Claire,whose parents Richard and Sheila live on Clay Lane, Handforth, to join him in a business venture which formed the seeds for the Royal Marbella Group, a company which builds thousands of homes every year in the Costa Del Sol region.
Claire is now international managing director and has developed an enviable reputation as an entrepreneur and sales guru.
Her proud mum, Sheila, a retired teacher, said the wedding held at Christ Church, Timperley, was a "perfect day".
"It was the kind of wedding young girls dream of. Everything went perfectly. Sir Geoff turning up was just the icing on the cake. He is a business partner of Michael's. A lovely man."
Claire arrived at the church in a horse drawn carriage wearing a pearl designer gown, by Jasper Conran.
The reception was held at the Deanwater Hotel, Woodford and afterwards they set off for a honeymoon in California. Sheila said: "I guess you could say it is a case of local girl makes good. But they both deserve each other.
"They are a lovely couple, very much in love. And yes it is nice for us as well. Michael is the perfect son-in-law. A lovely man. We regularly visit them in Marbella where we have enjoyed our fair share of the high life. But you can't begrudge them anything. They have made their own luck and everything they have has been achieved through pure hard graft."
Grateful at finding their own love match, the generous couple chose not to receive wedding gifts and guests were asked to donate money instead and a donation of £4000 has gone to St Anne's Hospice.
