When two former Avonbourne Trust students tied the knot it really was a class affair for all connected with the Bournemouth schools.
For taking centre stage as the entertainment at Aaron Manners and Natalie Calver’s ceremony was a choir from Avonbourne College.
It was bride Natalie’s dream to have a small choir perform at her wedding and she asked future mother-in-law, and chair of Avonbourne Trust Governors, Sarah Manners to help.
And Sarah knew just the girls who could step in.
She put out an appeal through Avonbourne College and 16 girls from years 9, 10 and 11 hit the right notes and put themselves forward.
Sarah recalled: “It was Natalie’s idea that she would love a small choir in the church for her wedding and asked if I could suggest this in Avonbourne.
“The response was wonderful and the 16 girls who volunteered gave up either their break time or some of their lunch time to practice.
“The choir was taught by Jane Wright, a music teacher at our primary school Avonwood and she transformed the girls into a pitch perfect choir.”
At the wedding, which was held at St. James Church in Pokesdown, the choir sang ‘On my Own’ from Les Miserable, ‘Songbird’ by Eva Cassidy, ‘All of Me’ by John Legend and the traditional hymns chosen for the service.
Their performance was greeted by a huge round of applause from the wedding guests.
Although Aaron, 31, and Natalie, 30, spent their school years a stone’s throw away from each other – Aaron at Harewood College and Natalie at Avonbourne – it wasn’t until many years later that they got together.
They met on night out in Bournemouth in 2011and have never looked back since.
Natalie said: “It was really special to have the choir sing at the wedding, especially with it being my former school.
“Their sound filled the church and to have the songs we had chosen sung live made them even more beautiful.”
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