Update: Mamma Mia! Winning is a dream come true (VIDEO + PICS)
FOR most of their seven-year engagement, a wedding has been out of the question for Angela Lee and David Hughes.
The cost of the rings, the reception and the honeymoon were always beyond their reach, despite six-year-old daughter Mia's desire to see them tie the knot.
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But all those worries disappeared last night when Angela and David won The Sentinel's Win a Dream Wedding Competition.
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Winners David Hughes & Angela Lee with daughter Mia Hughes aged 6.
Ten couples gathered had at Alsager's Best Western Manor House Hotel for the grand final.
But following five rounds of intense competition, including a treasure hunt, cake designing contest and wedding gift relay race, just two couples remained.
In the end, it was the judging panel, chaired by Sentinel Editor-in-Chief Mike Sassi, which had the difficult task of choosing the ultimate victors.
Kerry Edwards and Allan Weatherby were the runners-up in a highly emotional climax.
But for Angela and David, of Clive Road, Wolstanton, it was a dream come true.
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The moment when winner Angela Lee hears she and partner David Hughes have won and is mobbed by her family.
Mother-of-two Angela, aged 31, said: "We've been wanting to get married for four or five years but the money just hasn't been there. And we didn't want to rush and not do it properly.
"Tonight has been the biggest thing we've ever had to go through, even bigger than the wedding itself. It was so nerve-racking."
JCB worker David, aged 28, said: "I used to work nights and now I'm down to four days a week, so we are really struggling at the moment. We could never have got married without winning this prize."
A total of 185 couples entered the competition following its launch in January, with readers being invited to vote for their favourite couple.
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After 65,000 votes poured in, the entrants were whittled down to the final 10. And last night, hundreds of relatives and friends cheered them on during the grand final, which was hosted by Signal Radio's Louise Stones and Simon Morykin.
Father-of-the-bride Stuart Lee, aged 61, of Harriseahead, said: "It will mean the world to Angela to win this wedding.
"She donated the children's holiday money to their school's charity fund, and asked the other parents to bring in their Sentinels so they could get more votes. She worked terribly hard."
The final stage saw each bride-to-be reading out a 150-word statement on why they believed they should win.
Both Angela and Kerry gave heart-breaking speeches, but there could be only one winning couple.
Mr Sassi said: "It was an incredibly difficult decision. Both letters were brilliant, and the delivery of both was brilliant, but we just had to make a decision. I wish we had two weddings to give away."
Angela and David will now receive a £15,750 wedding package, including breakfast, reception, honeymoon, professional photography, a wedding dress and suit hire.
The prizes have been donated by sponsors including the Best Western, Beaverbrooks, Thomson of Hanley and Robert Kent photography.
The runners-up also received prizes such as photography vouchers, spa days and bottles of champagne.
Best Western general manager Jayne Chapman said: "Our congratulations go to Angela and David and we look forward to organising their big day on March 27, 2010, with them."
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6 Comments
by Allan Weatherby, stoke on trent
Sunday, June 21 2009, 8:54PM
“Well Done to Angela & Dave
Me and Kerry came second in the final. What a night eh??? My older sister entered us into the compitition without us knowing and to be honest it came abit of a shock when i found out. If im going to be honest that type of thing isnt normally for me but i did enjoy it once i got stuck in. I didnt really agree on how it was done in all honesty. I thought it was a little Brutal on the couples getting knocked out. I said to Kez i would prefer to go the 1st round than the last!!! That wasnt the case.
I dont really know how to put this without offending the winners but the competition wasnt really fair to everyone because running around looking for clues or grabbing boxes shows me how much a couple deserve to win????
Also 1 thing that does make me kick myself really is that on the final round when we had to speak out our 150 words we could of said alot of things what had gone on in our life . like for example that we buried our baby 5weeks ago Baby Faith. Or 12months prior to that we buried another baby Toni. we didnt want to win on SYMPATHY.... Everybody has money problems and problems in life but that is part of life. Im self-employed and i admit we find it hard at times but we went into the competition with our love for each other. We wanted to win for us. In my eyes and others Talking about how people saved the coupons etc to get into the competition doesnt tell me how they love each other. Im glad we went into the compitition because it has given me a kick up my backside to work harder and we are in the process of booking our wedding at Rookery Hall in Nantwich. Im glad i went also because i enjoyed having abit of fun with my wife to be and family.
I wish Angela and David all the luck in the future. And ALL the other couples from the competition.
Regards
Allan Weatherby”
by Lisa, Sue, Debs & Jan, Audley
Friday, June 19 2009, 4:39PM
“Well done Ange & Dave - wonderful to hear such good news and such a lovely couple too! Wishing you a wonderful future together!!!! Very best wishes from all the gang at Whitehouse farm xxx”
by Matt, Stoke
Friday, June 19 2009, 4:14PM
“I came to watch this and well done to anyone who made the final 10 and well done to the winners in what was not really a competition but a fitness test and a lottery. I won my wedding through Signal 1 three years ago and our tests included a first dance, a marriage related quiz, putting my wife's makeup on whilst on stage and many other wedding related tasks. I think last nights organisation of the event was a complete and utter shambles by the sentinel with some tasks having to be cancelled because of unexpected occurrences. The tasks included a relay of picking up gifts without using your hands, a sprint around the hotel to find clues along with many other disorganised tasks which had no bearing on how well a couple worked together or how well they knew each other. For the 170 couples that didn't make it into the final 10, think yourself lucky. For the 9 couples that lost out last night, go and stick £500 on a number at roulette, you would have had more chance of winning your wedding that way. And for the lucky couple who won, please do not take this to heart as its not in any way an insult to what you achieved. You are both very lucky people and I hope that you have a great day next year.”
by Ange Lee, Wolstanton
Friday, June 19 2009, 1:14PM
“thank you for your support, it means a lot to us how many people were behind us. there were a few deserving couples there last night.Julie and Chris and Sarah and Dennis,were lovley friendly couples too .. Hoooray for the pink team :)”
by DANIELLE, newcastle
Friday, June 19 2009, 11:37AM
“wow wee fantastic well done to you both absolutely fabulous news you derserve it , all the best for the future
from the gang”
by matthew, newcastle
Friday, June 19 2009, 10:41AM
“i would just like to say congratulations to angela and david, after my partner and i didn't make it to the final we looked at the contestants and said which couple deserverd to win which was angela and david. After being together for 8 years they deserve this wedding. We would like to wish them luck for the future and hope now there family will be complete.
matt + emma xx”