MICHELLE and Ryan Knight have enjoyed an emotional wedding day following a rollercoaster journey to the altar.

The couple, from Spaxton, thought they were going to have to put their big day on hold until 2018 after Ryan was diagnosed with skin cancer earlier this year.

However, when Michelle explained the situation to Reverend Martin Jones of St Mary’s Church, she was shocked when he told her provided they had their wedding before August 20, the church would pay the costs.
And so it was that Michelle Thompson, 33, married Ryan Knight, 40 at the church on Thursday, August 17.

“I feel Martin and the church deserve acknowledgement for their unbelievable act of love and kindness,” Michelle said.

It had been a difficult year for Michelle and Ryan, so to have the big day go off as it did was wonderful.

Michelle said: “We were due to marry earlier this year but, after Ryan’s initial diagnosis, we wanted to wait until after he had treatment next year and hold the wedding in 2018.

“We since had to move house to accommodate our needs and left private rental accommodation to live in a council property.

“This meant what little money we had left over from the wedding had to go towards the move to help purchase things like a new cooker, curtains, bedding etcetera.”

Things looked bleak for the couple when test results came back far worse than expected, showing Ryan had developed a tumour and the cancer had spread to his skull.

“At this point we realised just how serious this was,” Michelle said. “I contacted the vicar who was due to marry us in 2018 and asked him for guidance.

“I explained how we were very much in love and had been for the last four years, and the hurdles we had overcome.”

Michelle said, due to the uncertainty following Ryan’s diagnosis, she ‘could not live with herself’ if anything happened to him before the wedding and wanted to move it forward, to September.

“I explained that the more expensive ‘big white wedding’ we had planned was far from our minds now, we just wanted an intimate ceremony with us and a few close family and friends,” Michelle said.

To Michelle’s surprise, Rev Jones said, provided the wedding took place before August 20, he and the church would pay for the wedding, in what Michelle described as ‘an extraordinary act of kindness’.

We cannot believe how well everything came together; we are both on cloud nine. Ryan said it was the happiest day of his life,” Michelle added.

“I want to thank the following people from the bottom of my heart for making this happen: Reverend Martin Jones, churchwardens Dr Wulf Franzen and Graham Appleby, plus Claire Appleby-Hall, the back-room co-ordinator; Cindy Kitchker Photography, Mark Dunn and Shaun Harris for transport, Champagne and our mini-honeymoon; Kimberly Gray, of Holford Silk Mill, Chris Hayes at the Plough Inn, cake maker Kate Harvey; Maureen Anderson, Mavis Whitford for church flowers and Rachel’s Flowers from Weston; John Moore from Blitz That Glitz, Matt Cook of Gypsy Wedding Films, Grander Groom for the suits, KC Atkinson for hair and make-up, and Cabots Bars for the venue and staff and security.”