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Topics: Weddings, UK News, Sex and Relationships
Anish Vij
A bride has solved the bizarre mystery of a 'random' guest appearing in her wedding photos.
For four years, Michelle Wylie had been trying to figure out who the party crasher was - until they finally revealed themselves.
None of the other guests were able to identify the guy who kept cropping up in pictures from her big day in November 2021.
He was spotted standing in the aisle and at the back of Michelle and her husband John's group wedding shot at the Carlton Hotel, in Prestwick, Ayrshire.
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"As soon as I got the sample of the wedding pictures I noticed it straight away," the 38-year-old from Kilmarnock said.
"We all said do you know who that is? We were asking around the family and friends and no-one had any idea."
Following an appeal on Facebook, the bloke from the photos responded to the post and revealed himself as Andrew Helliman.
The Scottish painter and decorator, 33, turned up to the wrong wedding just before the start of the ceremony, and he only realised when Michelle was walking down the aisle.
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Michelle admits that she 'couldn't stop laughing' when the pair agreed to meet in person to share their stories.
"I always wondered if this would ever make its way back to me," Andrew said.
"Four years ago my partner was acting as bridesman (male bridesmaid) for his friend Michaela's wedding and I'd been invited as his plus one.
"For some reason he told me it was at the Carlton hotel in Prestwick at 2pm when it was actually being held at the Great Western hotel in Ayr.
"He had already left in the morning to help with whatever it is bridesmen do and left me to make my own way to the wedding."
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Andrew explained that the only people he knew attending the wedding were his partner and the bride, who he thought were in another room.
He added: "The fact that I didn't recognise a single person in this place didn't raise any alarm bells.
"Then the music started. Everyone stands up and turns around to watch the bride walk down the aisle and 'OMG that's not Michaela!'
"I was at the wrong wedding! You can't exactly stand up and walk out of a wedding mid ceremony so I just had to commit to this act and spent the next 20 minutes awkwardly sitting there trying to be as inconspicuous."
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After the ceremony, Andrew rushed outside, made some phone calls and got himself to the right wedding.
Michelle, a Digital Facilitator for the NHS, said: "I met him for the first time tonight. It was great. He is such a nice guy and we will definitely keep in touch. It is such a good laugh and I'll be telling people about it for a long time.
"Our wedding day really was the perfect day. But this adds another great story to it that gives us even more special memories.
"I had thought that he should have stuck around so at least we could have met on the day. But then we wouldn't have had all of this. It just worked out the way it was supposed to.
"It has certainly put a lot of smiles on people's faces."