Groom walks down aisle
A GROOM with a love of history will today become the fourth generation of his family to tie the knot in the same church.
Matthew Tyas and Katie Norman will become the latest happy couple in a long line of tradition stretching back almost 100 years.
When Matthew puts the ring on Katie’s finger he will be following in the footsteps of his parents, grandparents and great grandparents, who were all married at St Jude’s church in Halifax, West Yorkshire.
The tradition began 93 years ago when Matthew’s great grandparents, Louisa Buckley and Jack Morrow, walked down the aisle in 1922. His grandparents, Sylvia Morrow and Leslie Hanson, followed in 1946.
The tradition continued in 1970 when Matthew’s parents Denise Hanson and David Tyas chose St Jude’s for their ceremony.
The church was built in 1889 and Matthew, 32, and Katie, 30, a solicitor, cannot wait to stand in the same spot as Matthew’s forebears to exchange their vows.
Matthew, a manager for the Co- operative, said: “It’s nice to carry the tradition on. I have this picture in my mind’s eye of the area at that time and imagining how it’s all changed.
“But there’s still that link from the Twenties, all the way to now. We’ll be stood on the same spot, doing the same thing that someone very close to us did.
“Our parents are really happy
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for us, it’s lovely for them because they are not the kind of parents who would expect anything like this. So the fact that we’re following in their footsteps is great.
“It’s a lovely church, in a lovely spot. Although my grandparents won’t be there, I am sure they will be there in spirit and it will make it even more poignant.”
Matthew’s mother Denise said: “I’m extremely pleased that Matthew and Katie have chosen to follow in the family’s footsteps by marrying in the same church as the previous three generations.”
The couple, who live in Manchester and have been engaged for 18 months, hope to have a special memento of the day by recreating some of the vintage photographs of the previous weddings.
After the ceremony they will enjoy a honeymoon in the sunshine of Greece.