A YOUNG Barrow couple were happily married last Saturday after meeting at sixth form.

Melaina Woodend, 21, a peer group deliverer and James Canavan, 21, customer service advisor tied the knot on November 10 at the Abbey House Hotel and Gardens in Barrow.

The couple first met during Biology classes at Barrow Sixth Form College back in September 2013.

Melaina, now Mrs Canavan said: “At the time I encouraged my best friend to go for James, but after a while we became really close and eventually really good friends.”

Both said it was the bonfire night of that year as a stand out moment. James said: “It was the first time that we saw each other outside of sixth form and soon after I asked Melaina to be my girlfriend.”

It was November 10 2013, which later proves to be a momentous date for the couple.

Two years later, again on the November10 when they both finished sixth form and were about to head off to university James proposed to Melaina at the Lodge in the Vale in Keswick.

James said: “I just wanted to prove my commitment to her before university.”

Melaina said: “I was really surprised - we had a lovely meal and after we went back to our room James got down on one knee.

“He was very traditional and had asked for permission from all of my family and although we had talked about before, it still came as a surprise.”

Following this, Melaina went to Bradford University to study photography and James joined a year later to study business management.

Melaina said: “That year was difficult being apart, but James would come down and surprise me. One occasion he drove down at 3am with a bunch of flowers.”

After they both finished in 2018 the couple discussed getting married and when they were checking for dates they realised that their magical November 10 would not fall on a weekend for another few years.

Luckily for them November 10 2018 did fall on a Saturday.

So with a date set they moved quickly to get everything ready for the big day, with the full support of their family and everyone at Abbey House Hotel and Gardens.

Melaina said: “Everyone from Abbey House was brilliant, they made everything run so smoothly.”

On the day, the couple were joined by all their nearest and dearest for a beautiful ceremony and a three course banquet inside Abbey House Hotel.

James said: “It was one of the best moments of my life.”

The couple are having a two part honeymoon, half back at the Lodge in the Vale and the other in March of next year, possibly in he Maldives.