BOURNEMOUTH'S first citizen made history when he tied the knot in a ceremony at the Town Hall on Saturday.

Mayor John Adams married Mayoress Suzi Thornton-Vanzi, making the couple the first to wed in a town hall during their term of office.

Delighted Cllr Adams and his bride were joined by 60 guests for drinks in the mayor's parlour, followed by a civil service in the council chamber.

They then headed off to the New Forest for a reception.

Cllr Adams became the 103rd mayor of Bournemouth in a ceremony in May this year, knowing an even more personal ceremony was to take place in the same venue just three months later.

He told the Daily Echo: "I met Suzi in Bournemouth around 18 months ago and we decided marriage was right for us. She was very surprised when she found out that it would also involve being the mayoress.

"Meeting Suzi has made me feel like my life has started again. A mayor needs a lot of support and she has been amazing."

Suzi told how her husband broke into song in the middle of the wedding ceremony, belting out "Only You" in front of surprised guests.

"I don't think many mayors would do that - but this one would" she said.

Italian-born Suzi's brother is also a mayor in his native Italy so was due to receive an official reception in the parlour on Bank Holiday Monday.

Cllr Adams, who represents the Strouden Park ward, is a former pupil of Bournemouth School and was a councillor between 1973 and 1983, before being re-elected in 2011.