SPARKS flew for a couple who first met at drama club before tying the knot over a decade later.

Helen Gibson, 36, first met husband, Michael Bilsbrough, 34, at an amateur dramatics club in Preston where they became firm friends.

She said: “We were both part of Preston Musical Comedy Society and met through that and became friends.

“After knowing each other a few years, it developed into something more.

“We actually knew each other for 13 years before marrying.”

Mrs Bilsbrough, who works as a teaching assistant, said she was attracted to her husband’s confidence and sense of humour.

She said: “He’s very confident, outgoing and funny.

“We did two plays a year together at least where we had to rehearse for several months before each show so we spent a lot of time getting to know each other.

“We had such a good friendship; it just went from there.”

The pair took their relationship to the next step in 2017 after receiving the keys to their very first home together.

Mrs Bilsbrough said: “We’d just received the keys to our first house when he surprised me with a ring.

“Although we had been together a long time, I wasn’t expecting it at all.

“At first I actually thought he was showing me a ring he’d found in the house, it didn’t click he was actually proposing and it was for me.”

The couple tied the knot at The Grange Hotel in Grange in front of 60 of their loves ones with a further 50 people joining them for the evening do.

Mrs Bilsbrough said: “It was full of happiness and fun, being surrounded by loved ones who mean the most to us.

“It was just beautiful – it was a read hot day with clear blue skies which was perfect.

“We wanted to use local businesses so we got the flowers from Grange Flowers and got the cake from Helen Robertson at Grange Cake Company.

“When the guests arrived, they had drinks outside on the lawn and we had a stringed trio called Grazi Strings who provided the music for the ceremony.

“The wedding breakfast went beautifully and in the evening we had a live band which was amazing.

"In the evening, the photographer took us over to the beach and we went onto the promenade for some photos which was quite a novel thing to do.

“The whole day was perfect being surrounded by family and friends we’d not seen for a long time.”

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds travelled to Valencia.

All photography by Ladybird Photography.