Wedding style, Corrie-style

Inside Soap magazine has a wedding special to celebrate Sarah and Jason's Big Day on Coronation Street. It gives an interesting behind-the-scenes insight into organising a soap wedding.

For anyone who wants to copy Sarah's wedding look, head of costume Lance Milligan reveals that the dress is from Debenham's. "We wanted a bridal gown that was simple and classic," he says. "But we also had to be mindful of what she could afford." They had five dresses sent to them, and Tina O'Brien had a say in which one was chosen. "I always like to collaborate with the star," says Lance, adding, "When Tina put the dress on, it fitted like a glove."

No wedding is complete without flowers, and the ones for the Corrie wedding were provided by Manchester florist Collins. They supply flowers for Coronation Street quite regularly, and understand that filming a particular scene may take weeks, so they have to be ready to supply exactly the same flower arrangements repeatedly."Viewers will notice if the buttonholes are all wrong," Lance says.

The same church has been used for Corrie weddings for 15 years. Location manager Naomi Floyan books it four weeks in advance, and they even have a man who changes the church clock to make sure it shows the correct time for the scene. They also provide their own organist.

The church then has to be filled with a suitable congregation. "We have to have the couple's friends and families there," assistant producer Gavin Blyth explains. "We can't just pick any character and say 'They'll do.'" There's also the problem of how to explain notable absences, such as Sarah's former stepfather, Martin. "If we can't make a valid storyline of it, sometimes it's better not to explain things, rather than give some convoluted reason why," says Gavin Blyth.

All of this planning must be as stressful for the crew as it has been for Sarah, but as Gavin Blyth explains, "The wedding has to be true to what Sarah would want. She truly thinks this will be her only big day, so it has to be as perfect as possible."

Relive all those old Corrie wedding memories
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