'It was meant to be'- Preston couple's wedding ceremony saved by choir last minute

A Preston couple had their wedding ceremony saved by a local choir after a last minute cancellation caused panic.

Barton based couple Michelle Goodchild, 56 and John Goodchild, 65, wanted to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary this year with a vow renewal.

“We’ve been blessed with a really happy marriage so we thought what better way to celebrate than to reaffirm the original vows and just have a family party”, BAE worker Michelle told us.

The date was set, everything was booked and then five days before the ceremony, their entertainment- a choir who had already taken a deposit- cancelled as they could not get enough members to come.

Desperate to find another choir to make their ceremony special, Michelle posted in a Preston Facebook group and to her surprise, Local Vocals- a national community choir, with a branch in Preston- came to her rescue.

Michelle told the Post: “I didn’t think I stood a chance as it was literally the Monday, and our ceremony was on the Saturday. A few choirs got back to me straight away saying 'Sorry, we're busy’ and then Local Vocals got in touch with me on the Wednesday saying ‘sorry for the late reply, only just seen your note, we're available if you still need us’. I was like ‘hell yeah, of course we do!’”

The couple, who share three daughters together, thought only a few choristers would turn up but actually when Local Vocals put the call out to their members, over seventy singers came to the rescue from all across their Northern branches, giving up their time at short notice to perform four songs for the couple and their guests.

Michelle said: “When the choir leader George said they were looking at about 70 members, I was thinking, "Oh my god, we haven't got that many guests. There's only 30. It was only small and intimate, our nearest and dearest. But then my husband said, "You know what? Let's just go with it. Let them do whatever they want, and let them bring however many they want. It can only make the day better’, so we did.

“The choir were outstanding, my cheeks were aching from smiling so much... Still, now when I speak to any of my family or friends who were there, they'll go, ‘Bloody hell, Michelle, I can't believe that day. What made you get that choir and sing those songs?’ And you know what a day it was.

“We served tea, coffee, and cake after the ceremony for the choir, and spoke with them, and mingled with them, and it was just utterly perfect. Out of bad news came something better, and I can only think it was meant to be.

“And you know what? It was 150 quid, and that is the best 150 quid that I've ever spent.”

Local Vocal members, who were led by choir leader George Jones, in turn said they felt honoured to have the opportunity to sing at such an event and in such a beautiful church setting - the vow renewal taking place at the medieval All Hallows Church in Great Mitton.

George said: ‘It was a truly special day and we were so proud to be able to bring extra joy to such a special couple’s big day. The guests absolutely loved us, several of them now want to join their nearest Local Vocals - that’s the magic of singing together”.

Asked if the whole experience has encouraged her to take up a new hobby, Michelle was very quick to answer yes.

She said: “Me and about seven of my girlfriends are going to the Fulwood branch. We've booked our free taster session, and we're going on the 15th of June because everybody was just saying how therapeutic it was, just singing and coming together. Nobody's really got any formal training or special talent, they were saying it's just regular people from all walks of life coming together and doing something uplifting, and I'm all for that.”

Local Vocals was founded by LIPA graduate Laura Bennett Gornall and has over one thousand members across the North of England who meet weekly to support their aim of doing good for others through the joy of singing.

Since their start in January 2021, they have raised over £56k for local charities such as Derian House Children’s Hospice, Lancashire Mind, Rosemere Cancer Foundation and North West Air Ambulance.

This summer, the choir is staging two shows at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, raising money for North West Cancer Research, and you can get tickets for the matinee or evening performance here: https://www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk/local-vocals-010826/

Local Vocals holds weekly rehearsals across the north of England, in Lancashire, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

If you would like to be a part of the choir and their fundraising efforts, you can sign up for a free taster here: www.localvocalschoir.com. No previous singing experience is required.

If you would like Local Vocals to perform at your event, you can email [email protected] for further information.