Couple surprise wedding guests with mini steam train


Woody the dog joined Helen and Rory at the wedding and on the train - Image © Helen Appleton

A couple who met while working for a train company gave their guests a "complete surprise" at their wedding when they put on a miniature steam train to take them to the venue.

Helen and Rory Appleton, from Golborne, near Wigan, have been together for 10 years and tied the knot at Bashall Barn in Clitheroe, Lancashire, last week.

"Without the railway there's no me and Helen," Rory said, "So we felt it only natural to include some railway elements into the wedding."

He said it was "absolutely bonkers" to come back from honeymoon on Wednesday and see a video of the train full of wedding guests posted by the venue had one million views on TikTok.

Helen, 38 and Rory, 48, work for Avanti West Coast based out of Preston where Helen is a manager, and Rory is a train driver.

Helen said they kept the wedding train "a complete secret from everybody so it was a surprise for all the guests.  I was getting ready so I didn't even see anybody on the train until afterwards," she said.

"My bridal suite had a door that led just where the track was going and one of my bridesmaids opened the door and she was like 'erm, Helen, there's some train tracks being laid outside' and I said 'oh yeah that's just our steam train don't worry about that'."

The train took friends and family on a short journey from the car park to the venue.

(BBC article continues)