Celebrating their wedding while cheering on England at The Wroxeter Hotel near Shrewsbury, are bride Sally Espley and groom Jonathan Espley.

A Shropshire bridegroom did not let the small matter of his wedding get in the way of him missing England’s opening World Cup game.

Keen footie fan Jonathan Espley discovered earlier this year that his big day clashed with the country’s vital opening match against the USA on Saturday.

He and bride Sally Fielden had booked the event last summer, long before the fixtures for the World Cup were announced.

After choosing The Wroxeter Hotel, near Shrewsbury, as their idyllic wedding venue, Jonathan was disappointed to find there was no TV in the hotel lounge.

But the hotel’s assistant director Margot Foster came up with a last-minute solution of putting a TV screen in one of the hotel’s side rooms so England fans among the wedding guests were not disappointed.

Bride Sally did not watch the match but gave her blessing to both bridegroom and guests to watch it on TV.

Danced

She danced the night away with family and friends who were not among the football fans.

“Sally booked The Wroxeter Hotel because she loved the room and it was only six months after that I realised it was World Cup day,” said Jonathan, a Mullers maintenance technician, of Radbrook, Shrewsbury.

“I thought it would be nice to watch the England match at The Wroxeter hotel so I asked if we could have one in a side room and they were very obliging.

“Sally originally said that it’s not a football match, it’s a wedding but then she later said she wouldn’t mind. She’s really been great about it.”

The best man, three bridesmaids, three ushers and a trio of page boys all received England shirts as presents from the couple.

By Russell Roberts