A HAPPY couple surprised their guests by arriving at their wedding reception on a zipwire after getting married on Bournemouth beach.

Nick, 29, and Suzanne Wilkes, 30, said their vows on the beautiful sands of Bournemouth seafront before sneaking off, getting harnessed up and coming hurtling down the RockReef Pier Zip line.

Suzanne said: "Everyone said that it was such a unique way for the bride and groom to arrive at the wedding reception.

"Just a few people knew what we were planning to do, including my bridesmaids and the ushers, so they asked the guests to congregate at the bottom of the zip wire.

"When we got to the top, we could see everybody had crowded round on the beach. When we got to the bottom, people were congratulating us on getting married.

"For safety reasons, I couldn't wear my dress, so I wore a white lacy top, which looked very similar and attached my veil to the harness, which Nick went down in his full suit."

Asked how they came up with the idea, Suzanne said: "We thought it would be nice to get married on Bournemouth beach and when my mum and I went to look at the venue, we noticed the zip wire.

"I think Nick was just more surprised that I had come up with the idea instead of him and I was up for going on it."

Suzanne said that they had both had so much adrenaline from the excitement of their wedding day, after meeting five years ago on an online dating website, that the zip wire only heightened the experience. The wedding party then headed to the Terrace Bistro in Bournemouth's Lower Gardens to enjoy some food and drink.

She added that they are due to jet off to Zanzibar in Tanzania, East Africa, to enjoy a relaxing honeymoon together.