KARL and Justine Cooper will certainly remember their wedding day, but for all the wrong reasons.
Nearly 18 months of preparations for the big day could not prevent the disasters that befell their wedding on Saturday (Aug 4).
Celebrations nearly turned to tragedy when a tree came crashing down on the bride's home in Heaton Court, Bury, missing the wedding party. including her four-year-old daughter Holly who was a bridesmaid, by a matter of feet.
Justine (30) said: "I was having the finishing touches done to my make-up while the bridesmaids and other family members were outside.
"Apparently they heard a noise and thought that fireworks were being let off. They looked up and saw this huge tree coming down.
"It hit the house and fell on to the car which was waiting to take them to the ceremony. I heard a crash and thought a truck had hit the side of the house."
Although in shock, Justine and her entourage managed to make it to the Last Drop Hotel in Bolton for the ceremony. "Thank God the car was where it was. The children could so easily have been there," said the relieved mother-of-two.
And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, the bridegroom's four-year-old nephew, Cameron Cooper, was rushed to hospital suffering from a nut allergy.
The youngster had helped himself to nibbles at the reception, causing him to develop blisters and suffer breathing difficulties.
Fortunately, the youngster recovered after treatment and joined in the evening celebrations.
The couple later found out that the house wasn't too badly damaged, and it was mainly foliage that had landed on the house and the car, with the bark of the tree resting on the side of the property.
Justine said: "I was on automatic pilot all day, and my thoughts were on my house and what could have happened. I was already nervous because of the wedding day and then with everything else that had happened it was quite upsetting."
However, the couple, who will go on their honeymoon later this month, said they managed to laugh off what happened. Justine joked: "At the reception I was going through the champagne just to calm my nerves!
"We certainly won't forget our wedding day. The photographer took pictures of the tree on the house as well as pictures of us. So, our wedding album will be quite different!"
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