A PAIR of childhood sweethearts from Cardigan have tied the knot in a lavish £30,000 ceremony – which didn’t cost them a penny!

Emma and Chris Martell Jones had been together for 19 years having met as seven-year-old pupils at Cardigan primary school.

They entered a competition run by the Emlyn Hotel in Newcastle Emlyn offering couples the chance to enjoy a traditional wedding day for free.

“We’d planned to get married for years but just didn’t get around to it - life got in the way, what with two young children and everything,” said Emma.

“We had finally set a date in our minds for next February, which would have been the 20th anniversary of us getting together, but when I saw the competition on Facebook, I just went for it. I didn’t even tell Chris!

“I never expected to win. We couldn’t believe it!”

Fireman Chris popped the question way back in 2004 while playing rugby for Cardigan versus Newcastle Emlyn in a big derby game.

Emma, a midwife at Glangwili Hospital, was watching from the stands with a friend.

“Chris’s team-mates all took off their jerseys and turned towards me in a line to reveal white T-shirts with letters on them that spelt out ‘Emma, will you marry me?’ she recalled.

“I was sat in the stand, totally gobsmacked.”

The wedding was attended by 120 day guests, rising to 200 for the evening, and included the traditional three-course wedding breakfast, canapes, an evening hog roast, a drinks package, wedding cake, evening entertainment and a photographer.

Yet this time last year Emma was struggling to walk at all, never mind down the aisle.

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