A wedding photoshoot took an unforgettable turn when a newly married couple lost their footing and plunged into a river on their big day.
Jamie and Michelle Wade, both 46, were standing in a canoe for romantic wedding pictures on the River Bure in Norfolk when they toppled over and, in their words, “went down like the Titanic” after losing balance on August 29.
The couple, who live in Horstead, Norfolk, said the canoe mishap was just one of several things that went wrong during their wedding celebrations — but they were determined not to let the soggy setback spoil the day.
Michelle, a phlebotomist, had been wearing her £1,800 wedding dress for only a short time when the moment unfolded. She recalled thinking, as the canoe began to sink, that she could not possibly end up in the water after getting ready for the ceremony.
She said she had been in the gown for just two hours before the dramatic dip, adding that although she and Jamie love the River Bure, she never imagined her wedding day would end with her actually falling into it.
‘Not exactly the elegant newlywed photo we had imagined, but somehow it sums up our day perfectly – completely unexpected, slightly chaotic, soaking wet, absolutely hilarious and filled with love.’
Jamie and Michelle Wade, both 46, ‘went down like the Titanic’ after losing their balance while posing for pictures in a canoe on August 29
Phlebotomist Michelle, who was wearing a £1,800 gown, said she and her husband love the River Bure but never thought they’d end up in it
Refusing to let their unexpected dip ruin their day, the happy couple shared a kiss in the water
Michelle and Jamie, a builder, first met at school in 1993. They had been together, but split up and went their separate ways as adults.
A chance meeting in a Tesco car park in 2016 saw them reunite. Five years later they got engaged – on a boat.
Jamie said they have been ‘inseparable ever since’ and have ‘never spent more than a day apart’.
He added: ‘I’d moved back to Norfolk and went to Tesco one day when I saw Michelle walking through the car park.
‘I had that panic moment that comes from childhood dreams and I thought “if I don’t talk to her now, I never will again”.’
Their journey to the altar wasn’t easy as Michelle had suffered several miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy – a devastating condition that occurs when a fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb. It is unsurvivable for the baby and life-threatening for the mother.
The couple planned to marry last year but postponed following the loss of Jamie’s dad and Michelle’s mum.
But despite everything, the couple battled the odds to marry at Norwich Castle Museum last month – with more hiccups than just the unexpected swim.
Jamie said: ‘First, Michelle forgot her bouquet and had to turn back, passing me on the road after we’d carefully avoided seeing each other all the night before.
‘Then, as I cried my way through an emotional ceremony at Norwich Castle Museum, torrential rain caused the confetti to stick to all our guests as they threw it over us.
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‘It doesn’t rain for months and then the day you want to get married, the heavens open.’
Following the 50-guest wedding at Norwich Castle Museum, the couple held their reception at the Grade-II listed pub The King’s Head in Coltishall, Norfolk.
Michelle and Jamie full of smiles and surrounded by friends and family as they left Norwich Castle Museum as newlyweds
The couple were trying to be creative with their wedding photography when they lost balance in the canoe
Michelle wringing out her wedding dress at their wedding reception after falling into the river
Jamie laughs the accident off as he stands in his drenched suit pouring the river water out of his boot
It was on the nearby Coltishall Common that their newlywed shoot began.
Michelle said: ‘All morning we thought the weather looked okay and then suddenly, rain, thunder, everything.
‘Our photographer told us we weren’t going to get our sunset picture but we knew we had to get creative. I’d waited since I was 13 for this moment.’
It was then the couple tentatively stepped into the canoe – before overbalancing and spilling into the river.
To make matters worse, another wedding guest had rushed to see if they were OK and slipped – breaking their leg.
The pair went back to their 120-strong wedding reception to the shock of their guests.
Jamie said: ‘We took it entirely in our stride. Michelle looked absolutely stunning before and after the dunk.
‘She just shook out her drenched hair, straightened her dress, and gave me a big hug.
‘I was tipping water out of my boots all night – every time I emptied them, a little while later they were full again.
‘To top it off, Michelle accidentally put her foot in the fireworks machine and burnt her toe. If she hadn’t been wet, she would have gone up.
‘We’d worked so hard to get to our wedding day and the powers that be had one last test for us.’
The couple are due to go to Corfu on their honeymoon this month but Michelle added: ‘I think we should probably take a paramedic.’