A SAME sex North East couple are preparing to say “I do” for the first time – even though they’ve been married for a decade.
Christopher and Kristian Davison had their civil partnership on 21 December 2005 and, now, 10 years to the day, they will celebrate for the second time, by having a full wedding ceremony at Lumley Castle Hotel.
And, because the law states that a couple who move from a civil partnership to a marriage have their relationship status ‘backdated’ – it means the couple will actually be celebrating their 10th anniversary on the day they are wed.
Kristian, 38 and 44-year-old Christopher, from Penshaw, Sunderland, originally had their simple civil ceremony at Sunderland Civic Centre.
However, this time they will tie the knot in front of 84 family members and friends in Lumley Castle Hotel’s Scarborough Room before sitting down to a formal breakfast in the Baron’s Hall.
Throughout the day there will be live entertainment from an illusionist and later they will be joined by a further 50 guests for an evening reception.
“It really means a great deal to Kristian and me that we will finally be married,” said Christopher, “especially as the ceremony will, technically, be on our 10th wedding anniversary.
“We’ve put a lot of thought into planning the day and hope it will be a lovely and memorable event for all our friends and family.”
Nola Collinson, Director of Sales and Marketing at Lumley Castle, said: “Lumley Castle has long been one of the region’s best loved wedding venues and we are delighted Christopher and Kristian have chosen to hold their wedding with us.
“We will be pulling out all the stops to ensure they have a day to remember.”