Wallasey couple Donna Haeney and Sean Reynolds marking 12.12.12 by tying the knot in Gretna Green

Dec 12 2012 by Lorna Hughes, Heswall News

A WIRRAL couple picked this week’s once-in-a-century triple 12 date to tie the knot.

Donna Haeney and fiancé Sean Reynolds are marrying at Gretna Green’s Famous Blacksmiths Shop.

They will join 19 other couples from all over the UK who have also chosen to wed in the Scottish capital of love on 12.12.12.

Donna, 44, of Albemarle Road, Wallasey, said she believed the date was written in the stars.

She said: “I believe in astrology and read my horoscope every day.

“All those 12s – wow – there won’t be another triple date for 100 years and my fiancé Sean can’t forget that anniversary date!”

Donna and her husband-to be – who comes from Blackpool – have been dating for five years, after meeting online.

She said: “He’s my best friend, confidante and the love of my life.”

The Famous Blacksmiths Shop has been marrying couples over its anvil for more than 250 years.

Its global fame started in 1754 when the age for marriage in England without parental consent rose to 21 – a law which did not apply north of the border – and young lovers eloped in droves.

While Donna and Sean have chosen the date to marry, in some parts of the world mystics and healers are organising pilgrimages to sites of spiritual significance on 12.12.12, including Stonehenge and Machu Picchu in Peru.

Michelle Hall, wedding organiser at the Famous Blacksmith Shop, said 12.12.12 had taken on a life of its own.

She said: “Brides started calling us about two years ago asking us to reserve this date.

“We are now at full capacity for weddings on that day and the anvil will be busy from 9 o’clock in the morning to 6.30pm in the evening.”