When most people get married, the traditional horse and cart or chauffeur-driven limousine might be what sets the tone to their perfect wedding ceremony, but not for one Tameside couple.
As Gemma Goldstraw, 28, was preparing for her marriage to partner Ash Chamberlain, she knew she wanted to do something different for their ceremony. But Ash, who works in roadside patrol for the AA, said he was surprised when she said she wanted recovery vehicles from his workplace to drive them to their wedding venue.
Seeking out the help from his colleagues, Ash managed to make Gemma’s wish come true by hiring out a ribbon-decked recovery truck to get his bride to their wedding at Windy Harbour Farm in Glossop on time.
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“I was shocked when Gemma suggested using AA vehicles for our wedding as I thought she’d prefer something a bit more traditional,” Ash said. “I was humbled when our flagship truck arrived, complete with Moet & Chandon champagne in a chiller bucket.
“It was great to see the reaction of passers-by and drivers around Glossop, moving over or stopping to let us pass in AA 3 whilst sounding their car horns. It got our wedding day off to a perfect start!”
AA Recovery Patrol of the Year, Shaun Baugh, had the honour of chauffeuring Gemma and her proud father to the wedding venue in the AA’s flagship recovery truck, AA 3, while Ash’s team colleague, Lee Kirwan, drove him to the venue in his familiar yellow AA van, which was also trimmed in peach ribbon to match the bridesmaid’s dresses.
“I’m really thankful to the AA for the effort that the whole team put into making our day go smoothly,” Gemma said. “Shaun and Lee did everything they could to make us feel really special and showed a real eye for detail with the truck and van decorations. Our day was absolutely unique, and we’ll always be grateful for the part they played in our big day.”
Gemma and Ash, who have been a couple for almost 13 years, said they are now hoping to take some post-wedding time off from work to have some fun with their four young children.
Kris Handley, AA Performance Leader, said: “Ash is a great patrol who always tries to think outside the box for our members, so it’s only right that we’d do the same for him and Gemma on their big day.”
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