FLIRTING with the bridesmaids and having another girlfriend waiting in the wings isn't the best way to start married life -- but when you are five years old, exceptions can be made.

Ben Storey and his new "bride" Sophia Ferguson tied the knot in a mock wedding service at their Oswaldtwistle primary school yesterday after a short romance that started with a discussion about food.

Class one at Moor End Primary School, in White Ash Lane, have been covering a special topic about food since they returned to school after the Christmas holiday and this led to a discussion on celebratory feasts.

Julia Littler, class one teacher, said: "The children got especially excited about wedding food, which led us to look at the subject in more depth. We made a fake wedding feast and opened our own bridal shop and one thing led to another.

"A lot of the children had already been to a wedding and talked about this but others felt left out as they hadn't been to one so we decided to organise one for them."

Wedding invitations were sent out, acceptances sent back, dresses adjusted, button-holes made up and the wedding video of class two teacher Janice Wildeman was scrutinised.

Bridesmaids were also appointed along with a best man, photographer and stand in father-of-the-bride.

Then after weeks of preparation the big day finally arrived and Sophia, four, and Ben, five, were asked by "vicar" Joseph Banks, five, if they wanted to get married. After rather informal responses of "yeah" the pair were declared man and wife.

But Ben failed to tell his new bride about Chloe Jameson, six, from class two who he says is his real girlfriend. The cheeky youngster said: "I was really looking forward to getting married but Chloe doesn't know about it and I'm not going to tell her.

"I think I'll marry her too when I'm older and then we'll get more nice cakes."

Sophia's mum Angela Lord, of Higher Peel Street, Oswaldtwistle, also noticed her son-in-law's antics. She said: "It looked like he was flirting with the bridesmaids before and I saw him give one a sneaky kiss.

"Seriously though I think this is marvellous although I hope it's a few years yet before she does it for real."

After the service all of the pupils signed a register to say they had been at the wedding then tucked into a reception feast with Teddy Bear Champagne -- grape flavoured lemonade -- and a two-tier sponge wedding cake, along with the usual sausage rolls, crisps, peanuts and other buffet treats.

After an exhausting day which -- included headteacher Steve Isherwood being roped in to don a chauffeur's hat and drive the youngsters around in a gold Rolls Royce -- Mrs Little and the three nursery nurses who organised the event agreed that as lovely as it had been it would be their first and last time as wedding coordinators.