Wedding staged as couple like it

The RSC wants to continue using the theatre for weddings

A real life wedding ceremony has been staged at a theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.

Although the Swan Theatre has witnessed many fictional marriages over the years, Saturday's ceremony was the first of its kind at the venue.

Angus Marshall and Shirley Thompson fell in love with Shakespeare's home town during a visit in the 1990s.

However, the couple's marriage had to be completed in time for a matinee performance of Othello.

Dundee-born Mr Marshall, 37, a lecturer in computer science at the University of Hull, said he fell in love with the Bard's birthplace on a visit with his fiancée.

Shakespearean sonnets

"Stratford is such a special place for us, and the Swan is a beautiful building, so we were delighted when the RSC agreed to let us get married there," he said.

"Shirley and I first came to Stratford on holiday about six years ago.

"We enjoyed it so much we kept coming back. It really feels like home."

The groom said he and Ms Thompson, who is 35-years-old and from Moodiesburn near Glasgow, decided to get married in Stratford after he popped the question in York in October 2002.

Parts of the ceremony and the best man's speech featured Shakespearean sonnets and verse.

The RSC's Stratford manager Gary Stewart said he hoped many more couples would stage their special day at the Elizabethan-style theatre, which opened in 1986.

Speaking before the wedding, he said: "The Swan has undoubtedly seen many marriages take place on its stage as part of the hundreds of plays that have been performed here, but this is the first time a couple will have said 'I do' and really meant it."