British Couple Marry in Asda Supermarket
LONDON - A British couple who originally met in an Asda supermarket decided to exchange wedding vows in the store on Saturday, making them became the first Britons to officially marry in a supermarket.
Grocery shoppers paused to watch as Jill Piggott, 42, and Pete Freeman, 54, tied the knot in the store located in the northern English town of York.
The couple met when Freeman was shopping and Piggott was working the checkout aisle.
"People get talking at the checkouts. It's often the same regular faces," said Asda spokesman Ed Watson. "With Jill and Pete, they got talking over the baked beans and they took it from there."
The bride made her grand entrance up the store's escalator, wearing a strapless white gown, and was accompanied by the bridal party through the menswear and underwear sections to the ceremony in the shoe department.
The couple departed after the ceremony for 110 official guests to the sound of Scottish bagpipes.
"Our friends thought we were crackers," said Piggott shortly after she became Mrs. Freeman.
Britain has strict rules governing civil weddings, and until 1994 nonreligious ceremonies were restricted to official registry offices. Couples now have a slightly wider choice, such as hotels and manor homes, for their nuptials, as long as the sites are licensed by local authorities.
The Asda supermarket in York, which sells a range of goods from groceries to clothes, was the first to receive a license to conduct weddings on the premises. The Asda chain is owned by Wal-Mart Inc.
Grocery shoppers paused to watch as Jill Piggott, 42, and Pete Freeman, 54, tied the knot in the store located in the northern English town of York.
The couple met when Freeman was shopping and Piggott was working the checkout aisle.
"People get talking at the checkouts. It's often the same regular faces," said Asda spokesman Ed Watson. "With Jill and Pete, they got talking over the baked beans and they took it from there."
The bride made her grand entrance up the store's escalator, wearing a strapless white gown, and was accompanied by the bridal party through the menswear and underwear sections to the ceremony in the shoe department.
The couple departed after the ceremony for 110 official guests to the sound of Scottish bagpipes.
"Our friends thought we were crackers," said Piggott shortly after she became Mrs. Freeman.
Britain has strict rules governing civil weddings, and until 1994 nonreligious ceremonies were restricted to official registry offices. Couples now have a slightly wider choice, such as hotels and manor homes, for their nuptials, as long as the sites are licensed by local authorities.
The Asda supermarket in York, which sells a range of goods from groceries to clothes, was the first to receive a license to conduct weddings on the premises. The Asda chain is owned by Wal-Mart Inc.