LUCY Fransham had always believed you only get hitched once...until it happened to her twice in one wedding day.
For when Lucy’s Rolls Royce broke down on the way to Mottram Hall, she thumbed a ride in an old Toyota Land Cruiser.
And it had all been going so well for the 25-year-old Macclesfield lass, cruising along in a dazzling white dress, ready to marry John Abernethy, 32, at a Valentine’s Day ceremony, and with dad Nigel by her side.
Until the vintage Royce stopped rolling.
Lucy said: "The brakes failed, I couldn’t believe it, and my dad called my stepmum to come and get us, but I couldn’t wait. I jumped out, hitched up my dress, and ran up the road in Pott Shrigley stopping every car. It must have looked very strange to someone driving along. I was so stressed – I thought I might miss my own wedding!"
Macclesfield’s drivers did the town proud, with "everyone" stopping to offer a lift, but Lucy’s voluminous gown needed a special type of car, and a 4x4 truck was just the ticket.
Completions manager Lucy added: "I would like to say thanks to ‘Gary’ for picking me up in his Toyota Land Cruiser. It was very kind...only 30 minutes late for my own wedding, so not too bad. I nearly missed the slot though."
Meanwhile, twiddling his thumbs and surrounded by friends and family at Mottram Hall, John, a financial courier at Collect a Case in Macclesfield, began to wonder.
"It’s hilarious thinking about it now, but it wasn’t at the time! She was half an hour late, although she’s always late for everything anyway, to be honest."
Surely, after the delayed start, the rest of the wedding went like clockwork?
"Not really," said John, now with Lucy on a dream honeymoon in Thailand.
"I went to get my speech out and pulled out a pair of High School Musical tickets, I couldn’t believe it! But I got my mate to go and pick it up and everything went smoothly after that. Definitely a day to remember!"
Are you the ‘Gary’ who picked Lucy up? Get in touch with us on 01625 424445.
