AN ATHERTON photographer thought it was a wind-up when a Texan called 'X' telephoned to ask her to cover his wedding!

Pauline Holgate who runs PandA Photographic Services, with her husband Alan, got a long distance phone call from Texas, USA, in November from Jacques Paul Xex -- pronounced 'X' -- a corporate jet salesman.

Jacques had seen the firm's website on the Internet and had decided he wanted the Market Street-based photographers to do the photos at his Christmas wedding in Cheshire.

Wind up

Pauline said: "I thought it was a wind up. I don't get phone calls from the USA. Anyway, it wasn't a joke and we did do his wedding on December 29 in a posh hotel in Cheshire.

"It was the most unusual request I have had, and I've been doing this for over 20 years."

The photographers did not meet Jacques and his bride Angela Garbut -- who hails from Cheshire -- until the day of the wedding and communicated with Jacques via the fax machine to make sure the big day went without a hitch.

Pauline said: "We asked quite a lot of questions. We found out how many bridesmaids there would be and how many guests. Jacques was really, really nice and helpful. You'd expect him to be big and brash but he was anything but."

Alan and Pauline were treated to the wedding meal, held at the Woodlands Park Hotel in Timperley, where they heard the story of the bride and groom's romance.

Jacques and Angela met while they were both on holiday in Paris 18 months ago. They started a long-distance romance with the pair of them flying backwards and forwards to see each other.

Now they have tied the knot, Pauline said the couple will live in Texas.

Pauline said she was filling up herself when Jacques gave an emotional speech.

She recalled: "I've never seen a man cry before. He cried when he turned to Angela and said "I really love you."