Loving pair couple-up and get married on a train at 125mph

In a UK first, two loving souls had their wedding ceremony, reception, and a three-course meal all on a very special Great Western Railway Pullman Dining train.

The endearing couple, Leah Anderson, 38, and Vince Smith, 39, first met on board a GWR service from Wokingham to Reading as they travelled for their first date together.

That date led to their first kiss, on the GWR train home, and now eight years later the couple from Farncombe near Guildford have tied the knot – also on board a GWR train service.

You could say it’s a family love affair as Leah’s dad who will give her away, alongside her six-year-old son Teddy, was a signalman on the railway for 51 years.

Leah explains:

“We went for a coffee and then a pizza and just got on really, really well. On the way back, Vince was getting off at Wokingham. He went to leave and then ran back and kissed me. I knew from that first date we had something special.

“In those early days we travelled on the train all the time before Vince moved up to Farncombe. My dad worked on the railways for 51 years, so trains have always been a big part of my life.”

Leah had her hair and make-up done in the Queen Victoria’s lounge on Platform 1 at London Paddington, while groom Vince, originally from Wokingham, met family members at the old GWR board room at the station, before heading to the train where they choo-choo chose each other.

The UK’s first full train wedding is the brainchild of GWR, after Leah and Vince approached the company on social media to ask for a train-related centrepiece for their wedding table, as the company had done so much to bring them together.

“When we heard of Leah and Vince’s story, we asked ourselves what more we could do to help them as they embark on this very special journey together.

“Rail and rail travel is often romanticised; offering a gateway to new adventures, so what better way to embrace this than by actually holding their wedding on board? It tickets all the right boxes.”

The carriage(s) made in heaven left London Paddington on Friday 8 March, travelling towards Reading and Cardiff, where family members left the service to wave-off the newlyweds as they continued to Swansea to enjoy a luxurious stay at The Georgian Swansea.

Tomorrow (Saturday) the happy couplet will be treated to a personal tour of the famous Penderyn Swansea Copperworks Distillery, before travelling back first-class to London Paddington.