Golden wedding couple remember uncle’s lucky handshake

Michael and Yvonne Taylor, now of Spalding, were married on July 25, 1970 in St Paul’s Church, London Road, Peterborough.

In a knod to tradition, the happy couple made sure they had an extra dose of good luck to start their married life by enlisting Michael’s local chimney sweep uncle, Aubrey Mason, to shake the bride’s hand.

The handshake was captured on camera and featured in the Peterborough Evening Telegraph two days later and the pair still cherish the cutting.

The golden wedding couple were due to celebrate with a big family gathering at Pinchbeck village hall on Saturday, but because of Covid-19 shutting such venues, they sadly had to cancel.

Instead, Michael and daughter, Sarah have conspired to surprise Yvonne and cheer her up by contacting the Telegraph to help relive that wedding day moment in print by sharing the old photo.

Their daughters also plan to come over for a smaller family gathering at home on Saturday.

Michael said: “We still have a lovely marriage with four children and six lovely grandchildren.

“The 50 years have just gone by so quickly. You learn to do as you’re told and we get on well together,” laughed Michael.

Michael and Yvonne met on a blind date set up by friends in 1968 and went to The Winning Post pub in Market Deeping. “We talked that night and met again and it went on from there,” he remembers.

After more than a year “courting” Michael says he popped the question one evening: “I just asked her and she said, ‘yes’. Then I went to ask her dad as you did in those days.”

He recalls they had around 100 guests for the reception down the road from the church at the Unity Hall.

The couple were pictured just outside the church with uncle Aubrey in full sweep’s outfit and set of brushes, before setting off on honeymoon to Hunstanton.

Michael says: “I hired a car to get there, but it started raining. When we got to the caravan at Manor Park I had to go and get the gas canister out and connect it outside in the rain, but things soon got better.”

As stated in the original picture, Yvonne was the only daughter of Mr and Mrs J.L.H. Hall, of Stanground. the groom was the only son of Mrs A Taylor of Gladstone Street, Peterborough, and the late Mr A Taylor.

They bought Michael’s childhood house in Gladstone Street from his mother a year later and lived there until 1987. Having first trained as a painter and decorator on leaving school, Michael worked for Perkins in Peterborough for 37 years, while Yvonne worked for Hotpoint until they had their first child.

They then moved to Pinchbeck and finally Spalding.