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Terrific Toni beats wedding woe

John Fahey
23/ 4/2004

A HYNDBURN bride has been voted Britain's most optimistic person after overcoming an astonishing saga of wedding day woe.

Judges of a national competition were impressed with Toni Mason's positive attitude and resilience in the face of a catalogue of disasters on what was meant to be the happiest day of her life.

It all started when the mum-of-two's rings failed to turn up, forcing her to buy new ones a fortnight before the wedding. Then on the day itself:

• Her dad arrived at the church with a black eye and broken front tooth.

• Her hairdresser turned up too late to do her hair.

• And her 72-year-old grandma nearly broke her ankle at the reception after falling downstairs into the beer garden.

And that was only the half of it!

"It was quite astonishing really," said Toni, 36, of James Street, Great Harwood. "But the day was far from spoiled because a wedding day is bigger than little details, isn't it?"

She said: "My husband Lourie smashed his works van in a road accident. He was convinced something bad was going to happen to him during the week of the wedding. Nothing did until last thing on the Friday afternoon.

"Then my friend, who had agreed to make the wedding cake as a present, turned up looking horrified. She had dropped it taking it to her car. But we turned it on its side and put a ribbon round it.

"Also, our passports didn't arrive on time, so our honeymoon in Tenerife fell through and we had to go to Scarborough.

"Oh, and our DJ had all his equipment stolen the week before the reception. He sent a replacement who we didn't know, but thankfully he was very good."

After telling her story to Chat magazine, Toni won £1,500 in travel vouchers and a tumble dryer, which she plans to give to her daughter Carly, 16.

She added: "It was still the happiest day of my life. Far worse things happen in the world. As long as we're fine and healthy, that's all I can ask for."