Couple Get Wedding Day Shock

Sarah Billingham couldn't believe her ears as she listened to her partner Mick Thomas on the phone.

"I want to book a wedding" Mick whispered.

Sarah couldn't hide her happiness.

They'd often talked about getting married but that was a far as it got.

Though they'd been together for nearly ten years,and had a beautiful little son Declan,a wedding was low on their list of priorities.

Most of their money went on improving their home.Mick had completely redecorated it from top to bottom,and made a wonderful nursery for Declan.

So it had come completely out of the blue when Mick picked up the phone and rang the local register office.

Mick knew he'd done the right thing as he glanced at Sarah,29,and watched her face light up with a big beaming smile as she realised what he was doing.

"Come in and see us and we will explain what has to be done" explained the Registrar.Mick made an appointment.

Sarah threw her arms around him."I can't believe you've actually done it!" she laughed.

Sarah and Mick had always known they wanted to be together.But they knew that getting married would make both sets of parents happy,especially Mick's dad Leonard,71,who was a bit old-fashioned and was always dropping gentle hints about "making an honest woman" of her.

"He means no harm" Mick told Sarah."He just wants to see me settled."

Getting married would please also Sarah's parents Pamela and Stanley.

Mick thought the time had come to do something about it.

So he'd rung the register office,a few miles from their home.

Mick,48,who has four grown-up children from his first marriage,had been very impressed by the ceremony and the photograph area at the register office when his second eldest daughter,Teresa,26, was married there a couple of years earlier.

He'd always thought that when he and Sarah did get around to taking the plunge,that was where he'd like to have the ceremony.

It was the end of September,1999,when Sarah and Mick went along to keep their appointment with the registrar.

They handed in all the relevant documents,which included birth certificates,Mick's decree absolute from his first marriage,a gas bill and two insurance policies,to the registrar for checking.

The registrar turned to Sarah and asked "Would you like a long or short marriage service?"

Sarah didn't hesitate."I'll have the long service,please,and would it be possible for my dad to walk me into the room?" she asked.

Her father,Stanley,73, had been diagnosed with throat cancer but he'd always looked forward to walking her down the aisle.Sarah thought this was the next best thing."It would make his day" grinned Sarah and she was thrilled when the registrar said "Yes,I'm sure we can accommodate that."

Sarah and Mick fixed the date for 22 April 2000.But before they left,they were asked if they wanted to have a quick peep at the room where the ceremony was to take place."It's absolutely lovely" sighed Sarah happily.

During the next few months,Mick,who's a supervisor at a local plastics factory,worked every hour going.Money from the extra shifts went towards saving up for the cost of their big day.

Soon all the preparations were under way.Sarah's mum Pamela ordered the cake.Mick booked the reception at their local pub,with a disco in the evening.Sarah even found her dream dress in the first shop she looked in.She excitedly picked out lilac bridesmaids' dresses for Mick's granddaughter Rachael,10,and Sarah's niece,Laura,also ten.

Even little Declan was kitted out as a page boy,with Sarah's nephew Hayden,aged six,in matching navy outfits.The cars and photographers were booked,and Sarah began to get really excited.

When a letter to them arrived in February from the register office,Sarah and Mick were msytified,because they lived at a different address.

But they thought no more about it,as it was just to inform them that on the day of the wedding,the building was being refurbished and would have scaffolding around it.

"The building is not important - it is the wedding that counts.As long as it goes ahead,where it happens doesn't matter" Mick reassured her.

Finally the big day arrived.Sarah,not wanting to tempt fate in any way,spent the Friday night at her mum's,while Mike stayed home with a close friend and workmate,John O'Neil,who was taking him to the register office in the morning stayed with Mick.

Nearly a hundred friends and family were gathered at the register office when Mick arrived in John O'Neil's white Audi at around 10.30am.

Some of guest had travelled from Bristol and Liverpool.Sarah's car turned up about ten minutes later and she got out with her dad.As soon as Mick saw her,emotion choked up inside him."She looks absolutely gorgeous" he said,fighting back the tears.

After posing for photographs,the wedding party went into the register office.Sarah and Mick were called into a side room to complete the formalities before the wedding could go ahead."I just need to check a few details before the wedding can go proceed" smiled the registrar.

"I'll start with you first,Mr. Thomas" she said,as she began to read aloud his details... "Mr M Thomas,Gammage Street..."

Mick froze."I don't live there!" he stammered.

The official looked very worried when she returned with another registrar.

"What is the problem?" asked Mick.

"This is serious,very serious" was her reply."I'll have to leave you here while I try to sort this out" she said,leaving the room to find the person who had taken the application in the first place.

To Sarah and Mick,it felt their world was falling apart.Suddenly the happy atmosphere had vanished,and been replaced by nervous anxiety.

Mick paced the floor while Sarah bit her polished fingernails.Seconds seemed like minutes,and minutes like hours while they waited to find out what was happening.

It was half an hour later when the registrar returned.She said she had contacted the head registrar and had with her the person who took the original application."I'm sorry - the marriage can't go ahead" she said."There has been a mix-up with the address."

Sarah nearly collapsed."I can't believe this is happening to me" she sobbed before running out of the room in a flood of tears.

"This is ridiculous.There was no way I could give you an address of Gammage Street!"

Mick tried to explain how much they had put into organising the wedding.He thought of all the hours he'd worked to make sure Sarah's day was going to be special."You can't just cancel our wedding!" he wept.But there was nothing that could be done.

In tears and a total state of shock the devastated couple were shown into another room to get themselves together and speak to their guests.

In the space of 30 seconds,the whole day had been brought to a stop.Suddenly it had gone from being the happiest day of their lives to the worst.

Still in deep shock,Mick was talking to people but not hearing anything they said.

Because the guests had turned up and had travelled from so far,the heartbroken couple took the brave decision to go ahead with the reception and disco."We don't want it go to waste" sobbed Sarah.Mick made a formal announcement that the reception would go ahead as planned.

Relatives and friends tried to console them by organising a blessing at the local church.The sympathetic vicar agreed to perform the service at the last minute when he learnt of their plight.After the service,held in the afternoon,Sarah and Mick were showered with confetti by their emotional guests.

All the guests were very supportive.But for Sarah and Mick,it felt like a party rather than their wedding reception.Greeting guests who hadn't heard the news was the worst thing."Congratulations" they'd smile.Then Sarah or Mick,working on autopilot,would have to break it to them gently."Sorry...we're not married! The wedding couldn't go ahead."

Mick is now seeking an explanation as to why their details hadn't been checked properly."I always like to organise things meticulously"he says.

He and Sarah are seeking compensation for their ruined day.

A council official said "I am very sorry to hear about what happened. The council will investigate what happened."

The couple have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket but Mick is determined Sarah will still have her special day."I know I will give Sarah back that day no matter what it takes" he declares.

Says Sarah now "I just cannot understand how the mix up happened. We both felt humiliated and I can honestly say it was one of the worst experiences of my life."