Kelly Goudie, 32, and Simon Garrick, 33, became the first couple to say “I do” beside the seaside when they walked down the aisle in the UK’s most iconic beachside wedding venue, Festival House.
For exclusive pictures from inside the first wedding, like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/bpoolcouncil.
After the official unveiling on the building on the 15 December 2011, the first couple became Mr and Mrs Garrick in front of the famous Blackpool Tower.
The first couple were presented with a generous sponsorship package from local businesses. Offers include bride and groom attire, photography, wedding cars, cake, reception venue, flowers, hair, make up, wedding cars, balloons, rings, entertainment and room décor.
This sponsorship package helped to create a dream wedding for Kelly and Simon
Kelly, an IT analyst, and Simon, an offshore technician, met in 2001 and are both from Blackpool. They got engaged in 2004 after Kelly walked into the bathroom to find Simon and their dog, Bobby, each knelt romantically on one knee, with the words “Will you marry me?” written in shaving foam across the bathroom wall.
It was obviously true love and so the couple set upon the mission to find the perfect wedding venue to celebrate their special day.
Earlier in 2011, they were one of many couples who have expressed an interest in holding a ceremony at Festival House. They were successfully chosen for the first available date and finally tied the knot on 12 January 2012.
Bride-to-be, Kelly, was over the moon when she found out they had been chosen as the first wedding couple:
“Being first to be married at Festival House is a dream come true – it’s the fairytale ending to our story. We have both lived in Blackpool our whole lives and we love this town. We have visions of our five year old daughter, Hallie, driving past the venue one day with her own children and telling them about how her mother and father were the first to be married there.
“My nan and grandad lived in Liverpool and came to Blackpool on their honeymoon and have visited every year after for their anniversary – and now we’re part of Blackpool’s heritage and words cannot describe how much this means to us. We are so honoured and so truly proud to be the very first couple to wed in this fantastic building. We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has helped us to have the most wonderful experience of our lives.”
First wedding sponsors
We offered the opportunity to local businesses to get involved in the first wedding at Festival House. Businesses are given the opportunity to submit an offer to the first wedding and we presented a generous sponsorship package to the lucky first couple. The sponsors are as follows:
The Sands Venue
Parkinson Building Contractors
Bridal Boutique
Dream Capture Photography
The Cake Room
Greenwoods
Tops and Tails/ Flowers 2 Go
Destiny Doves
Salon K
Flower Perfection
Flutterby Couture
Clouds Wedding Cars
Balloons by Design
Leonard Dews
DJ Gary Mills
Rhianna Frend
The Mighty Boof!