A couple from Scotland has finally unraveled the mystery of a stranger who appeared in their wedding photographs.
Revisiting wedding photos is often a cherished moment, but for Michelle and John Wylie, it was a source of confusion due to an unfamiliar face appearing in many of their pictures.
This unknown man was seen standing in the aisle and at the edge of a group photo taken in November 2021 with Michelle and John.
For years, attempts to unveil the identity of this man had been unsuccessful, leaving them stumped.
However, almost four years later, a renewed social media inquiry revealed the amusing story behind the so-called ‘wedding crasher’.
The man in question has been identified as Andrew Helliman, who saw the post and shared his version of the events.
It turns out Andrew had intended to attend a different wedding with his partner, but was mistakenly directed to the wrong venue.
Andrew, a 33-year-old painter and decorator from South Ayrshire, arrived just in time for what he believed was the correct ceremony, only to realize his mistake when he saw Michelle walking down the aisle.
To avoid drawing attention, Andrew participated in the ceremony at the Carlton Hotel in Scotland before quietly exiting.
“I always wondered if this would ever make its way back to me,” Andrew remarked. “Four years ago my partner was acting as bridesman (male bridesmaid) for his friend Michaela’s wedding and I’d been invited as his plus one.
“For some reason he told me it was at the Carlton hotel in Prestwick at 2pm when it was actually being held at the Great Western hotel in Ayr.
“He had already left in the morning to help with whatever it is bridesmen do and left me to make my own way to the wedding.”
Andrew was unfamiliar with anyone else at the event except his partner and the bride, whom he assumed were present in another part of the venue.
He explained: “The fact that I didn’t recognize a single person in this place didn’t raise any alarm bells.”
The realization finally hit when he saw the bride heading down the aisle.
Andrew admitted: “I was at the wrong wedding!
“You can’t exactly stand up and walk out of a wedding mid ceremony so I just had to commit to this act and spent the next 20 minutes awkwardly sitting there trying to be as inconspicuous.”
After the ceremony, he quickly left, made a few phone calls, and made his way to the correct wedding, where he had to explain his absence.
“I was almost as popular as the actual bride and groom and spent most of the night retelling that story to people,” he recalled.
Michelle and John are thrilled that the mystery has been solved and find the story quite amusing.
“It is unbelievable. I just could not stop laughing when I heard the story. It is so funny and the way Adam tells the story is brilliant,” said Michelle, a 38-year-old Digital Facilitator for the NHS.
“You just don’t hear about things like this happening. I just can not stop laughing about it. It is great to finally find out who it was.
“It was always in the back of my mind, who was that and why was he there? To find out eventually after all this time is quite something.”
Michelle has since met Andrew and they plan to stay connected.
The East Ayrshire woman noted: “Our wedding day really was the perfect day. But this adds another great story to it that gives us even more special memories.
“I had thought that he should have stuck around so at least we could have met on the day. But then we wouldn’t have had all of this. It just worked out the way it was supposed to.
“It has certainly put a lot of smiles on people’s faces.”