Pair mod for each other

A KISS and a smile . . . we did it

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A WEDDING had the look of a mod and skinhead gathering when an Oldham couple tied the knot in Saddleworth.

Chelsea Whiteland and Thomas Matley had a mod, skinhead and 2 Tone theme to their big day, complete with a ska band for their reception and a tattooed, skinhead DJ ­- who also works as a vicar.

The couple tied the knot on Saturday afternoon at Sacred Heart and St William RC Church in Uppermill and held their reception at the nearby Civic Hall.

Chelsea (24) works at Shawside Nursing Home, in Shaw, while Tommy (23) is employed at Gemini UPVC at Oldham's Westwood Industrial Estate.

The bride wore a retro rockabilly style dress while the groom wore a sharp blue suit and brogues.

Many of the guests followed a mod, skinhead or 2 Tone dress code. Chelsea's dad, Stephen Garrett, sported classic Dr Martens footwear, a Fred Perry shirt and braces, as he walked his daughter down the church aisle.

Chelsea said: "Tommy is a skinhead while I'm more into the mod look. We wanted a wedding that was going to be completely different to the usual thing. So everything has a mod, skinhead or 2 Tone style."

"My dad is actually a skinhead ­- he loves it. He was going to bring me to the church on a Vespa scooter but he was a bit worried about the rainy northern weather. He didn't want me to arrive with a wet veil! So we travelled in an old Cadillac. I'm a big fan of Elvis Presley and the Cadillac was a 1950s-type that the American police used during that era."

Flowers

Tommy is from Oldham, grew up in Derker and attended St Joseph's Primary School as a young boy. However he later moved to Kent and got to know Chelsea in the town of Maidstone.

Recalling how they first met, Chelsea said: "Tommy was the only skinhead boy in Maidstone and I was the only skinhead girl. I'd seen him around the town a few times and had my eye on him. One night when I was a bit drunk, I saw him and jumped on him for a laugh. The next day, he turned up at my house with a bunch of flowers.

"We got to know each other a little bit but Tommy then returned north. I didn't see him for three years. However we finally got back in touch again and I came to meet his family in Oldham. We saw more of each other again and I decided to move north to be with him, so I moved to Oldham."

The couple were married by Fr Bernard Bickers, parish priest at Sacred Heart in Uppermill. Following the wedding service their civic hall reception included live music from a band, called Natural Rhythm, and music played by DJ Phil Eccleston. Nicknamed the Skafather, Chelsea and Tommy first saw the Staffordshire ska DJ playing at a music event in Chorlton, Manchester. He span a range of mod, ska, reggae and northern south music for the newly-weds.

Chelsea said their favourite bands and music include The Specials, who had numerous hits on the 2 Tone record label during the 1980s, northern soul, and reggae, including legendary performers Bob Marley and Burning Spear.

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