AN EVESHAM bride-to-be will be tying the knot with her very own prince on the day Meghan Markle marries HRH Prince Harry.
Sarah Holgate and Jay Balchin will be tying the knot on Saturday and while they welcomed the ‘lovely’ coincidence, they didn’t hesitate to stress they were the first to set a date.
The couple, who live in the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham, will be given their very own royal welcome at Coombe Abbey Hotel, which is where they will be celebrating their ‘I dos’ with friends and family.
“We had the date sorted and booked Coombe Abbey back in 2016, so when Prince Harry and Meghan announced their date we got so many texts from family and friends, but luckily no one has received clashing invitations,” said Sarah.
“But it is a fantastic coincidence and it will be a lovely story to tell that our wedding day was on the same day as Prince Harry and Meghan – we definitely won’t forget the date that’s for sure.”
Jay, who is from Tamworth, but living in Malaysia at the moment, popped the question during their visit home at Christmas 2015.
Planning for the big day started as soon as they were back in South East Asia, but the couple agreed the Coombe Abbey wedding team could not have been more helpful in the remote planning across the long distance.
The couple, who are both accountants, will be getting married in St Bartholomew’s Church in Binley, before heading to the Brinklow-based 12th century manor house for their own Royal reception.
Ron Terry, general manager of Coombe Abbey, sent his congratulations to the Royal bride and groom and to the hotel’s special couples.
“What a lovely way to start married life by knowing that you share the same wedding day as Prince Harry and Meghan,” he said.
