For newlyweds George and Kathryn Mellor it was the perfect place to declare love and loyalty to each other - and the town they adore.
After 30 years of holidaying together in Great Yarmouth there was no doubt where they wanted to say ‘I do.’
But just a few weeks ago Mrs Mellor’s dreams of exchanging vows and being whisked off to the seaside gardens for a keepsake photoshoot looked in doubt with the gardens still closed off for refurbishment.
On the day however the bride wore a vintage gown studded with beads - and the Waterways looked pretty glorious too.
The 63-year-old from Derbyshire has been holidaying in Great Yarmouth since she was a tot of three having sailed in the dragon boats as a child, the thrill of seeing the winding rivers lit up at night still a well-remembered joy.
And today they started their married life walking the 1km of newly-manicured pathways and enjoying its relaxed vibe - the first members of the public to enjoy the new scheme.
Mrs Mellor, a retired cook, said the couple had been visiting four or five times a year every year for three decades, after she introduced her now husband to its delights.
“Of all the places this is where we are happiest,” she said.
“If we could retire here we could. We just love it. And we always said if we got married it would be here.”
When Mr Mellor, a welder, popped the question on New Year’s Day it was an emphatic yes, Mrs Mellor running across the road in Ilkeston to break the news to her daughter.
A party of ten travelled from Derbyshire for the wedding staged at Yarmouth library.
After posing for pictures at their beloved Waterways, they enjoyed a wedding breakfast at Woods End guest house in Wellesley Road where they have been staying for 18 years, owner Charlie acting as a witness at the ceremony.
Later they planned to enjoy the Pleasure Beach fireworks with their grandsons and wider family.
Community engagement officer for Great Yarmouth Borough Council Sadie Charles said the authority was “so honoured” to be able to pull out all the stops and make sure the couple could have the Waterways wedding of their dreams, adding: “They are real champions for the town.”
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