A newlywed couple were left devastated on the morning after their big day - after discovering 50 gift cards containing at least £700 in cash had gone missing. Kayleigh and Ashley Hanrahan had asked guests to put any envelopes in a special postbox at their golf club venue in Wigan.
And they claim it was full to the brim when they went to bed - but completely empty less than 12 hours later. Gutted Kayleigh, 29, says she and Ashley, 31, are "heartbroken" and the police are now investigating.
The pair - a stay-at-home mum and a HGV driver - partied at Gathurst Golf Club after tying the knot on October 7. Kayleigh said: "We're absolutely heartbroken. We're sad about the money, which is a lot, but it's mostly the sentimental value of the cards which I wanted to keep.
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"We never even got to open and read them. We had to contact all our guests to find out exactly how much was missing. It was more than £700. They have been stolen - who could do something like that? We've waited such a long time for our wedding.
"I'm so angry and upset that someone could do this to us on our wedding night." Kayleigh and Ashley, who have kids together, married after more than 10 years as a couple.
They said their vows at a lodge near their home in Wigan, Greater Manchester, before dancing the night away at the golf club. Kayleigh said a ground floor conference room had been decorated specially and a postbox provided by an events company was set up for cash-filled cards.
But the cards were nowhere to be seen when she returned to the club at around 12pm on October 8, she claims. Kayleigh says she and husband Ashley had left the venue at 12:30am - and all the cards were still there.
She said: "We were the last to leave and the cards were in the box which was tied shut with a sash. When I came back the next day everything had been moved to another room so the big one could be cleaned.
"Everything else was there, the cake, the bouquet, and all the other gifts, but the postbox had gone and there were no cards. It's heartbreaking. I just want justice." Greater Manchester Police has confirmed it is investigating the case. Gathurst Golf Club and the events company declined to comment.
Kayleigh's brother has organised a fundraiser so the newlyweds and kids can go on the honeymoon to Wales they had hoped to used the cash for. You can donate here: https://gofund.me/2fb2f438.
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