From the Papers - Couple choose PIZZA at their wedding reception

Featured in the Bath Times, Thursday 15th August 2002

A pizza restaurant in the centre of Bath may not be many couples first choice when planning their wedding reception. But for one pair of newlyweds, it was the only place to celebrate with family and friends on their special day.

A Barton Street pizzeria had been central to the romance between Malcolm Small and Sarah Woollett, which culminated in their marriage at Charlotte Street’s registry office this month. So the Bath-based husband and wife decided to hold their reception in PizzaExpress where their relationship first blossomed during early dates.

Mrs Small, who works as a primary school teacher at Bathford Primary School, said that it was the obvious choice for them. “I had two children from a previous relationship and so we used to come here because the boys enjoyed it and they could meet Malcolm in a relaxed atmosphere,” she said. “So we ended up coming here every Friday – the boys could come and play with their skateboards on the street while we had a meal. It has become an incalculably important place for us for helping us build a family unit. So when it came down to choosing somewhere for the reception, this was the only place that it could have been.”

The pair met through mutual friends who thought they might get on well. Mrs Small added that a hotel or a function room would not have provided the personal touch they desired nor reflected the involvement of her sons Oliver, ten and William, eight, quite so well. “It had to be somewhere that meant something to us”, she said.

Fellow restaurant-goers were amazed to see the wedding party arrive at the venue. Pizza express had not hosted such an even before and managers had regular meetings with the couple to work out the logistics. “They did a wonderful job, especially as they had never done anything like this before”, Mrs Small continued. “We phoned them up in April to ask if it might be possible and if the manager would be in favour, and they said it was fine.”

Mr Small, who works in sales and marketing, said he had fond memories of his own. “When I first came out with her as my girlfriend and she met members of my family it was before my sister’s wedding when she had a pizza party here too,” he said.

The pair jetted off the next day to Spain for their honeymoon and will set up home in Combe Down.

If you have a bizarre wedding story, write to us at news@ukbrides.co.uk