27 year old Christina Quilter values her cherished wedding gown more than most brides, in fact the newly wed believes that it actually saved her life.

The Mother of three went for a dress fitting shortly before her wedding, during which the corset of the satin ivory gown pushed into her right breast, causing her to be to cry out in severe pain.

When the pain had not gone after a fortnight, Christina made an appointment with her GP and was sent for tests and she was quickly diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

Even though she underwent a mastectomy and began a course of chemotherapy as soon as she was diagnosed, the brave bride decided to go ahead with her wedding plans and married her 28 year old beau Dan.

Christina commented:-

‘It was a really hot searing pain. I’d never felt anything like it. It felt as though my breast was burning.

There is no doubt that my wedding dress had saved my life. I feel very lucky that my cancer was caught so early and I was able to have treatment.

I’ve got no history of breast cancer in my family and I am so young, so I never imagined it would be anything so serious. I felt as though my world had just collapsed around me.

I tried to put it all behind me on the actual day. All the guests knew that I’d got breast cancer and was having chemotherapy, but we still had a wonderful day.
I’d considered postponing the wedding when I was diagnosed, but it gave me something to look forward to and my dress was so beautiful.

Dan and the children really kept me going throughout it all - I knew I had to get better for them.

It has been a long haul getting through my treatment, but with three children to look after I didn’t have much time to feel sorry for myself.’

Thankfully two years down the line Christina’s doctors have advised that they believe that she will recover completely.

When 28 year old bride Katie Mawson married her husband Gary Turpin in 2008 at St Michaels Church, Workington there was someone else at the alter with them.

Family friends Andrew Long was by the brides side as she took her vows, interpreting every word that was spoken in sign language to profoundly deaf Katie.

At least one third of the wedding party were deaf, as well as Katie’s three bridesmaids.

Katie’s signed her vows on her big day and caring Andy even interpreted the speeches at the wedding reception.

Katie who is a lifeguard at their local leisure centre in Workington said:-

“We wanted to hold the reception at our favourite venue, the Broughton Craggs Hotel near Cockermouth, and they had space on this date.

It was important that Andy signed at the wedding because so many of the guests were deaf.”

Newly weds Katie and Gary met on a night out in Workington in 2004. They fell in love and Gary learned sign language. Gary proposed one year after they met when they were having a meal in their local pub, The Old Town House.

Katie’s proud Mum Heather commented:-

“When Katie has made a friend in the deaf community she has made a friend for life. It is like a family and it was wonderful that they were all at the wedding. It was very emotional on the day.”

John and Margaret Beauvoisin can perhaps lay claim to being the most happily married couple in the world.

The couple who live in Portsmouth, Hants have renewed their wedding vows every year since they married in 1948 with the exception of 1949 when John was stationed overseas with the Royal Navy.

The pair wed at St Swithun’s Church in the town of Southsea on 27th December 1948 and since 1950 have renewed their vows and had their wedding bands blessed annually.

Their 2008 ceremony was took place at Sacred Heart Church in their hometown of Waterlooville on 27th December, the Beauvoisins 60th wedding anniversary.

Guests included 10 of the couple’s children, their 23 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

81 year old Margaret said of the moment the devoted couple met:-

“It was by accident really. He was sitting in my chair and I went to sit next to him. Then he got up and I thought he was asking me to dance.

He hadn’t really intended to ask me it turns out, but we spent the rest of the night dancing and he saw me home.”

I asked what his name was, and he said Oswald. I said ‘Do people really call you that?’

He said his middle name was John, so I said ‘I’m going to call you that instead’.”

When asked to reveal the secret to a long and happy marriage, Margaret said:-

“He loves me and looks after me. We have remained faithful and love our family.”

Three young German children were discovered at a railway station as they attempted to elope in order for two of them to marry in Africa.

Would be bride Anna Bell aged just seven and her groom to be six year old Mica Sievert had decided to run away to be married in the sun and in secret. Travelling with them was Mika’s five year old sister, Anna Lena.

They were caught trying to run away from their homes in the German suburb of Hanover, to Africa for a wedding in the sun as their families’ slept early on new years’ morning.

The three youngsters packed their suitcases for their big adventure, including sunglasses, Swimming costumes and snacks. They were intercepted by local police officers who spotted them in their holiday clothing, dragging a lilo through the train station.

Officers were able to convince the children they would find it difficult to reach their destination without plane tickets or cash.

A spokesperson for the local police said:-

“What drew our attention was not so much that they were small children but that they had a lot of swim gear with them.

And when we asked them where they were going they said straight away ‘to Africa!’

The policeman questioning them found that incredible! Who would think of going to Africa at that age?”

Loved up Mica reportedly told officers:-

“We wanted to take the train to the airport, and then catch a plane, and then we would unpack, and get married once we arrived. Then we wanted to go for a little holiday”.

One of the focal points of any wedding reception is the wedding cake.

Before you decide on which vendor you are going to use, there are a number of questions that a bride to be should have answered in order to make an informed decision regarding which cake designer will get her business.

Here is a short list of questions to ask any vendor before making your decision.

• Does the vendor have a portfolio of wedding cakes which can be viewed, either online or can a copy be sent in the post?
• Are there a number of set designs with set prices or is each cake bespoke?
• Does the vendor offer tasting appointments so that you can ‘try before you buy’?
• Is it possible to hire extra items such as stands, tiers, cutters and cake toppers? If they have to be purchased make sure that the cost of each item is clarified.
• Remember, the fresher your wedding cake is, the better it is likely to taste, so be sure to ask how far in advance will the cake be made before the day of the wedding.
• If additional cakes are required find out if these will be charged per slice, and if they will be delivered pre-wrapped and at what cost.
• Will your wedding cake be delivered (and at what if any additional cost?) or will you have to collect it, and if so, when? Bear in mind if you cannot collect or have it delivered on your wedding day, you will need somewhere to store it.

The worldwide credit crunch doesn’t yet appear to have deterred couples in the UK from tying the knot, but as global predictions for the 2009 economy hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, many couples are sure to be asking themselves if it makes financial sense to marry at the moment.

But even in a struggling economy it is possible to have a wedding without sending your finances into a cold sweat, and the good news is that a stylish wedding needn’t necessarily be a hideously expensive one.

A simple tip is to make sure that the bride and groom look good, making sure that the focus of the day is on them, and keep the remainder of the wedding clean and simple. Remember the old adage less is more? Well now is a great time to apply that proverb and an uncomplicated and simple ceremony will likely be remembered as elegant.

Planning your wedding during a recession might even save you money! As others prepare to extend their engagements and postpone their nuptials, it is likely that wedding vendors will be more open to negotiations in order to secure your business, and there will be deals to be had. Venues are likely to be more flexible where dates are concerned, and again some will even reduce their prices in order to fill their calendars.