Yorkshire couple tied the knot in pirate-themed wedding on a ship - as guests sang shanties

Zoe Bradshaw, 40, and her now-husband Paul Bradshaw, 51, visited Brixham Pirates Festival, in Devon, for the first time in May 2023. The couple, who share son Jax, four, were so enamoured by the event that they based their wedding on it.

The pirate enthusiasts had spent ten months planning their big day - which took place at the very same festival when it returned to Brixham this weekend.

The couple, from Doncaster, married on Saturday (May 4) - the first day of the three-day festival. While it was a public festival, Paul snapped up 60 tickets - including one for their celebrant.

They wed aboard the The Golden Hind, a full-sized replica of Sir Francis Drake's vessel in Brixham Harbour, surrounded by attending friends, family, and all the other festivalgoers.

Zoe, a stay-at-home mother, said: "When we came to Brixham last year for the festival, we fell in love with it. We've been to so many pirate events since then, it's a great community to be in.

"Everyone was so excited and it was exactly what we hoped for. The sun was shining, everyone was laughing dressed up, and music was playing. It was brilliant."

Paul, a plasterer, said: "We didn't want a traditional wedding so we said we'd just have a big pirate party. I was dressed as Jack Sparrow and my son was a mini Jack Sparrow - everyone wanted his picture! It was a bit crazy but everything worked out so well."

The couple were dressed in full pirate attire - with Paul and Jax dressed as Jack Sparrow. Zoe had a £1,000 custom-made pirate dress with a black and red corset with matching roses, and a black and red wig with a pirate hat.

They didn't want normal rings, so Zoe had a white diamond ring and Paul had one with black diamonds, in keeping with the theme.

They won't officially marry until they go to a registry office, which they plan to do in the next year in a smaller, but still pirate-themed, affair in Doncaster.

But they did say their vows and have a celebrant present who has experience officiating pirate-themed affairs - and came in costume too.

Louise Goode, the celebrant, said: "I did a pirate ceremony wedding in Crete a couple of years ago, so I put a post up online bout it and Paul asked if I'd do their wedding.

"It's so lovely to bring everyone together like this ad I think more people are getting their eyes opened to the possibility of pirate weddings. It was an absolute blast - a bit like herding cats at times - but it was just beautiful. I even led a few shanties!"

Reflecting on the big day, bride Zoe said: "It was perfect. You've never seen anything like it. It was just amazing."