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How deep is your love? Couple marry 500 feet underground in disused mine
Last updated at 00:37am on 06.07.07Bride and groom Kerry Bevan and Wayne Davies proved just how deep their love was - by getting married 500ft below ground in an old slate mine.
Radiant Kerry wore a traditional white wedding dress and Wayne donned the usual smart morning suit but they had to add hard hats and wellington boots.
The couple spent £560 hiring a cave deep within the Llechwedd mine in North Wales to get hitched.
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Bride and groom Kerry Bevan and Wayne Davies got married 500ft below ground in an old slate mine
They invited just 15 guests, including sons Connor, 10 and eight-year-old Brendan, to witness the unusual ceremony.
Their first descent into the abyss started with an 800 metre ride through tunnels and caverns on the old Miners Tramway, a train hauled by a battery-electric locomotive.
The tiny railway is Britain's steepest with a gradient of 1 in 1.8 Once there, they squeezed through a tight space through to the "wedding chamber" where they were greeted by registrar Olwen Jones.
Assembled guests stood in silence for the thirty minute service and broke into a round of applause when they were finally pronounced husband and wife.
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They had to don hard hats and wellington boots to the bride's traditional white wedding dress and groom's morning suit
They were then led past a dramatic underground lake back up to the surface for a champagne reception at a local hotel.
Kerry, 26, said: "It really was a wonderful day and certainly one that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
"Both myself and Wayne wanted to do something a bit different for our wedding day but at the same time wanted to maintain a little bit of tradition.
"So although we opted to get married in an old slate mine, I still wore a £700 white dress and Wayne wore a smart dark coloured suit.
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The bride, Kerry Bevan said: 'we both felt we were getting married somewhere which had so much history and atmosphere'
"The only difference between us and any other couple tieing the knot is that we had wellies on and hard hats which read "bride" and "groom" on the back.
"I was a bit concerned about getting the dress dirty and tried not to brush against any of the cave walls. We had an umbrella to keep specks of dust and slate off us.
"It felt slightly claustrophobic and when we got down there it was very chilly.
"But we both felt we were getting married somewhere which had so much history and atmosphere."
Assistant pub manager Wayne, 26, added: "The whole day had a special feel about it, I don't know many people who have got married in a mine and had to catch an underground tram to the registrar.
"We could only bring down a limited number of guests, which were our sons and close family members, because of safety reasons.
"The cavernous mines were good for the acoustics but I found that my vows echoed around me.
"It was wonderful day and at least we can say with pride that we will remember one of the most important times of our lives for so many reasons."
The couple, who live near Wrexham, spent £15,000 on the wedding and the reception in the tiny Gwynedd village of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
They are now on their honeymoon in sundrenched Corfu.
Registrar Olwen Jones said: "Out of all the services I have performed, this has to rank as one of the most unusual.
"The mine was cold and dark but with the candles there seemed to be a hint of magic and wonder about the caverns.
"It really was a lovely ceremony and they are a nice couple and I hope they have many happy years together."
Llechwedd slate mine and quarry produced 23,788 tons of finished slate per year and had 513 employees at its peak in 1884.
It continues to produce slate today but on a much limited scale.
