CHILDHOOD sweethearts Kieran Stanger and Kira Jones have finally tie the knot – and it’s thanks to a 30-year-old car!
The newly married couple from Orford met 10 years ago and after Kieran popped the question at Kira’s mum’s house, they were content to be engaged and weren’t really planning to get married.
That was until Kieran saw a classic Mini Mayfair up for sale – his dream car – and he struck a deal with Kira – if she allowed him to buy the car then he would agree to get married.
Kieran, who is 25 and 24-year-old Kira share their story.
When and how did you meet?
We met in 2012 through mutual friends.
What did you think of each other when you first met?
Kira: I found Kieran hilarious! We were best friends for years and even joked we should get married so we would have the same name.
Where and when did you get engaged?
Kieran: We got engaged at Kira’s mum’s house. We were loved up teenagers and always knew we’d end up married. I held out the ring and said: “are we going to do this then?”.
What’s the date of the wedding and reception?
Kira: The date was originally set for the April 18, 2020 however due to Covid-19, this was postponed a total of three times before the wedding finally took place on Saturday, April 16.
Where was the wedding?
Park Manor, Warrington
How were you feeling on the morning of your wedding?
Kira: I was completely relaxed while my bridal party was getting ready. It wasn’t until I was having my hair done that the nerves kicked in. Kieran held it together all the way until the guests were asked to stand for me to walk down the aisle. Once we were stood together, everything seemed to melt away.
How would you describe your wedding?
Kira: After waiting for so long, it was just a huge celebration for everyone involved. We’re both overjoyed and spent the whole day beaming with our closest family and friends. It was amazing.
Kieran and Kira signing the register after saying their vows
How many guests did you have?
Around 90 people, however we wanted to keep our ceremony intimate with just our closest family and friends so around 35 people saw us get married.
What did your guests eat?
Kieran: The food was amazing. We had chicken liver parfait to start, roast chicken with roasted vegetables and gravy for our main and an amazing chocolate tart for afters.
Did you have a first dance?
Kira: We had a fabulous first dance to A Thousand Years by Boyce Avenue. We chose this song as it was the song we had our very first dance to many years ago and it has always held a special memory for us both.
Did you have speeches?
Kira: The speeches were fantastic. Kieran has always got the biggest laughs from everyone he meets and he definitely didn’t disappoint with his speech. Kieran’s brother and best man, Josh, also did a great job with his speech, mainly detailing all of the embarrassing moments we have all shared together at my expense!
What are your favourite memories of the day?
Kira: One of the things that took a lot of the stress out of the ceremony was my mum’s phone ringing right at the start of the vows! Although, she will never live it down, it definitely provided the comical relief we both needed. The day was full of laughs and just pure joy. From arguing over how to cut our wedding cake to spending the start of our first dance with me wiping cake crumbs from Kieran’s beard!
Tell us a little bit about your outfits on the day?
Kira: Our colour scheme was red and white to match the wedding flowers – red roses and white lilies. The men and boys all wore grey suits with red ties and I wore white with my bridesmaids in red and flower girl in white. Kieran’s favourite colour is red so this definitely needed to be incorporated. I originally wanted a dress with sleeves but when I tried one on, I couldn’t help but think I resembled my nan’s net curtains! I finally decided on my dress and fell in love with it but due to us expanding our family, I had a very stressful few months of browsing other dresses in case mine didn’t fit. Luckily, it did and I was able to wear my dream wedding dress.
A kiss outside the venue for the happy couple
Did you have a honeymoon?
Kira: We went on our honeymoon before the wedding. We had a few days in Spain, just the two of us, as I was heavily pregnant for our wedding and was unable to fly after it! We had a relaxing break and will be having another once our daughter is here.
Why did you want to get married?
Kieran: We are opposites, even down to our film choices or music genre. I think that is what makes us work so well, as we seem to balance each other out. It just seems to work.
Kira: We were childhood sweethearts and always had a soft spot for each other. Kieran always had a knack for making me laugh and was always there to cheer me up if needed it. We spent years as best friends before finally giving it a go and we’ve never looked back since. We share two little boys and have our little girl on the way and have gone from strength to strength as a couple in the seven years we’ve been together.
We were quite content in life just being engaged, until Kieran had found a classic Mini Mayfair for sale. This had been his dream car since he was a little boy and he promised that he would marry me if I let him get it. So, I suppose I owe all of this to a 30-year-old Mini!
Photo credit: Fox Lily Photos
The Stangers’ bridal party
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