WITH all the preparation that goes into planning a wedding, it could be considered unfortunate to have your big day clash with your town's cup final day.
If your team hasn't made the final for half a century, this could be considered even worse luck, but it is just what has happened to three Leigh couples - 52 years apart.
With Leigh making it to the Challenge Cup final for the second time in 1971, the game was scheduled to take place on the same day as Michael and Josie Evans' wedding day, at Sacred Heart Church on May 15.
52 years later, the same thing happened with Neil and Jenny Hornby, and Scott and Jaimie-Lee Parker, whose marriages at St Phillips Church in Atherton Leigh Town Hall clashed with the Leopards' historic Challenge Cup victory against Hull KR.
READ > Leopards fans 'still in dreamland' after first Challenge Cup victory in 52 years
Although a few guests dropped out of the Hornby wedding in order to be a part of the Wembley atmosphere, those who attended were able to squeeze the final in between the Church wedding at 1pm and the hotel meal at 4pm.
Although the couple was "a bit gutted" that their big day clashed with such a big occasion for the town, Jenny said that the wedding ended up being a "perfect day".
Mum-of-two Jenny said: "We had been planning the wedding for about 18 months so we had no idea that it would end up clashing with the final.
"A few guests dropped out as they wanted to be at Wembley and everyone was glued to the screens at the hotel because the majority of guests were Leigh fans.
"But once they won, it was just brilliant. Everyone was chanting 'Oh Leigh, Oh Leigh, Oh Leigh' and it ended up being a perfect day because everyone was so happy that they won."
Back in 1971, guests at Michael and Josie's wedding encountered a similar experience, and even the priest "updated guests with the score every two minutes" as excitement grew during Leigh's 24-7 win over Leeds.
To honour their 50th wedding anniversary, the Leigh couple paid a visit to Wembley Stadium in 2021 to mark their 50-year milestone and the anniversary of Leigh lifting the cup.
After the Leigh Town Hall wedding, guests at Scott and Jaimie-Lee Parker's marriage managed to catch the second half of the Leopards' famous win, while both the Parkers and the Hornbys able to continue the celebrations with their upcoming honeymoons.
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