Married life got off to a bumpy start for a Frinton couple as they visited Clacton Pier for their wedding photographs - using the dodgems to get a dream snap.

East Anglian Daily Times: The happy couple were pictured together at Clacton pier after gettign married. Picture: CHRISTIAN DAVIESThe happy couple were pictured together at Clacton pier after gettign married. Picture: CHRISTIAN DAVIES (Image: CHRISTIAN DAVIES)

School sweethearts Ellie Huish-Williams and Josh Thornton tied the knot in Holland-on-Sea earlier on in the day before taking the short drive to Clacton to take the snaps in a place that held many happy memories for the pair.

Mrs Huish-Williams, who is 23, said that the couple met at Tendring Technology College when they were 16 and have been together ever since.

She said: “We wanted to take some pictures in front of the pier because it held many happy memories for us from when we started dating and it looks so nice since it has been done up.

“It made our wedding so special and unique, they are pictures that no one else will have.

“It felt like we should be in a movie or something. It was very surreal.”

The pair had planned to have their pictures taken at the pier after the ceremony but as they were having the snaps taken, their photographer from Photovogue suggested that they try get into the building.

Unbeknown to the couple, managers at the pier had already been contacted.

Mrs Huish-Williams added: “The owners of the pier very kindly let us in and even put a congratulations message on the board out the front.

“The picture of me and Josh outside the pier is magic and looks like a film. The one on the Dodgems is a happy and funny memory of the day.”

Bosses at the Pier opened up the dodgems and also arranged for a congratulations message on their large screen at the front of the building.

Director Elliot Ball said the request came from the photographer, Christian Davies, just a few days before the wedding.

“It meant arranging for the screen message to go on just as they arrived and making sure we had staff on duty to ensure that Josh and Ellie got all the photos they wanted,” he said.

“It’s the first time that we can remember anyone other than a member of staff having wedding photos taken on the Pier we were pleased to help the newly-weds out.”

The pier hopes to host weddings in the future, as there are plans to revamp the Jolly Roger building into a multi-use venue to stage such functions as well as conferences and sporting events.