BESOTTED newlyweds who first met in a Barrow bar ten years ago tied the knot in an intimate wedding of just 13 people.

Debbie Brocklebank, 48, a business analyst, married Mike Robinson, 52, a security officer at the Barrow Registry Office in October in front of their nearest and dearest.

The couple, who live in Barrow, first met in the bar O'Sullivan's in the August Bank Holiday of 2011.

"He came over to say hello and then disappeared," said Mrs Robinson.

"When he came back I was talking to someone else! He tracked me down via the Facebook dating site. After a few weeks of messaging, our first date was officially October 1. I remember being quite shy on our first official date at Francescas.

"Mike looked at me like I was the only person in the room - and still does.

"We discovered we are very similar in a lot of ways - same sense of humour, outlook on life and he made me laugh a lot."

Mr Robinson added: "Debbie just seems to complete me as a person.We have a synchronicity/compatibility I've never had before."

The pair got engaged at the Chester Races on May 12 2017 and was due to wed in New York City Hall Christmas 2020 but was forced to rearrange plans due to the Covid outbreak.

Instead, the Robinson's said 'I do' at the Barrow Registry Office on October 1 2021on their ten year anniversary.

Mrs Robinson said: "We married in front of our children, my parents and our good friends and witnesses - James and Brogan Hutton. My son, Bob Abnett, gave me away and my daughter, Emily Abnett was my maid of honour and top wedding organiser.

"The standout memory for me was that I was suddenly so very nervous and neither of us could look at each other for fear of crying. When I reached the end of the aisle, Mike just kept saying 'wow'. We were very happy with a small wedding - just 13 of us on the day - as it's always been about the marriage and not the wedding for us."

The newlyweds held a wedding party at the Hotel Imperial a week later with their friends and family.

Mrs Robinson said: "I don't think we stopped dancing all night and it meant so much to us that we could celebrate with everyone after all the ups and downs of the past 18 months."

Six months after walking down the aisle, the pair had their wedding photos at Tarn Hows in the Lakes.

Mrs Robinson said: "We both didn't want the 'norm' when it came to wedding photos so did a bit of research and came across Adam from AJ Photography. His photos looked amazing.

"Although we had to postpone a few times due to weather, we managed to have an amazing day at Tarn Hows which included climbing over stone walls and a paddle in the water. The photos are just amazing."

All photography featured in the article is by AJ Photography. You can access his services by visiting: www.aj-photography.co.uk or 07703412037.