A SOUTH Birmingham couple got the best start they could wish for in their married life in the shape of a free wedding.
The colour scheme that bride Regina Cummins from Galway picked for her wedding to fiancé David Mbaziira on Friday, 7th July was pale pink. And to celebrate the special day - as Nailcote Hall’s 1,000th wedding couple - everything was ‘on the house’ and everyone involved was ‘in the pink’.
Regina met David in her native Galway while he was there for a stag weekend and the couple were the winners of a competition organised by Nailcote Hall in Berkswell, Solihull, offering a free wedding to the 1,000th couple to book their nuptial celebrations there.
The country house hotel, one of the most prestigious wedding venues in the Midlands, was approaching its one-thousandth wedding.
Owner Rick Cressman wanted to mark the milestone event in a memorable way and decided the lucky couple that ended up booking the landmark wedding should have it for free.
A host of companies providing wedding-related services also agreed to take part and provide goods and services for free.
Rick presented the couple with their prize at a champagne reception held at the hotel in February.
The prize was worth a grand total of around £10,000. In addition to winning a free reception and a night in the bridal suite, Regina and David got flowers, a photographer and the services of a toastmaster.
Regina met David in Galway in 2003 and both say it was love at first sight.
“It was fairly immediate,” said David, a former rugby player.
“We tried the long distance thing for a while but Regina moved over to Hall Green and we haven't looked back.”
The couple’s wedding ceremony took place at St Mary’s Church in Acocks Green.
Regina looked stunning in her wedding dress and pink bouquet and so too did the four bridesmaids led by cousin Natasha and sister Elizabeth - whose five-year-old daughter Alana carried a bag of pale pink rose petals to shower over the newlyweds.
The groom and his best man, Jason Ellis, who he had known from schooldays at King Edwards, wore smart pink ties with their morning dress - and so too did many of David’s friends and family.
David’s parents - who came to Britain to escape the strife in Uganda over 30 years ago and were befriended by Bishop Simon Barrington-Ward, who is David’s godfather - were all there to join in the celebrations.
So too was Regina’s proud mother who was looking forward to making the most of her stay, along with other family members who travelled over from Ireland for the couple’s big day.
Certainly nothing had been overlooked to make sure that it would be a day to remember - all captured in a souvenir album by Prestige Photography and the many other firms who had gone to great lengths to echo the mood of the day.
The pink and white balloons by Creative Balloons set the party atmosphere for the wedding breakfast - so too did the floral displays by Buds & Bows of Kenilworth and Stems of Birmingham.
Even the vintage white Rolls Royce had pink bows tied to the door handles and there was pink champagne to greet the 120 guests - who attended the breakfast with toastmaster Howard Jones and then stayed on to dance the night away.
Asked how he had enjoyed himself the new bridegroom said, “It is the best day of my life” - and everyone present wished the couple continued good luck and every happiness in their married life.
The couple enjoyed a double honeymoon, jetting off to Dubai, before travelling to Kenya to go on safari.

The Bride and Groom, Regina Cummins and David Mbaziira	The bride and groom with Nailcote Hall’s owner Rick Cressman
The bride with her bridesmain, cousin Natasha	Everything in the pink for the lucky couple’s reception