Generation game goes on and on! (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Generation game goes on and on!

Ref. 29817-27When Matthew Jones and Rebekah Day walked down the aisle they made marital history for the bridegroom's family.

The couple were the tenth generation of Matthew's family to tie the knot at St Mary Magdalene Church, in South Marston, the village where he grew up.

More than 100 people attended the wedding service on Saturday, which was the latest in a tradition dating back to 1733.

Matthew, 28, said: "Tying the knot in this church has made the occasion extra special. I am thrilled."

In spite of losing her veil in the wind, Rebekah was equally overjoyed.

She said: "I'm so happy. The wedding was truly wonderful."

The couple, who first met at Oxford Brookes University, now live in Rugby. So they had to apply for a special wedding licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury because they are not residents of the South Marston parish.

Their choice of location to exchange vows delighted Matthew's mother, Loraine, 55, who still lives in the village with husband, Des, 51.

Loraine, who was warden of the church until last year, said: "I can't quite believe my son has got married here too. It's fantastic and will certainly go down in my family tree history."

There have been several vicars since Loraine walked down the aisle in 1974.

The Rev Greg Bakker took the service, during which the choir of St Mark's Church, in Church Place, Swindon, sang a special Gaelic blessing.

Loraine, who works at the Swindon Museum and Art Gallery in Old Town, used church records to trace her family to the 1690s, when John Bridges arrived in South Marston.

In 1733 his son William married Hannah King in St Mary Magdalene Church and started the tradition, which has lasted 271 years.

Loraine said: "I began tracing back my family tree 20 years ago by trawling through the church registers, looking for the name Bridges. I was amazed it went back so far."

But the family's link to South Marston may not last forever.

Matthew, a design engineer for Mitsubishi, said: "If we have any children, Rugby will be their home. So it is unlikely they will get married here."

And his brother Alex, 25, who was best man, also has different plans.

He said: "It's a bit early to think about marriage. But a beach wedding certainly sounds appealing."

Victoria Tagg