Poorly son Charlie is best man in poignant service
Most weddings are emotional, but there wasn't a dry eye left in the house when the parents of a seriously ill two-year-old boy tied the knot – with him at their side as best man.
Little Charlie Harris Beard brought tears to the eyes of the 300-strong congregation as he drove his remote control model car down the aisle, with the rings on a cushion on the bonnet.
His parents Joe Beard and Fiona Haris, both 30, married at St Mary & All Saints Church in Kidderminster yesterday in a service described as "spontaneous with no time for rehearsals" by the Rev Canon Owain Bell.
The couple decided to marry only days after being given the news that doctors in this country had no cure for two-and-a-half year-old Charlie, who has faced a long battle with leukaemia.
Guests clapped as the brave toddler, dressed in a smart suit, made his way down the aisle.
His father Joe said before the service it seemed "only right to have my best mate and my son as best man", with duties shared by Charlie and his godfather Phil Senior.
Seventeen-year-old singer Danielle Bishop sang You are My Sunshine during the service conducted by Rev Bell who described the event as "both poignant and happy".
He said "people had felt their hearts touched" and told the couple "the community had put their arms around them with support, fundraising and prayers".
