Dream wedding on the cards for Wolverhampton couple after £100,000 scratchcard windfall
They had been trying to save £100 a month for their wedding - now Lee Davies and Carryann Copestick are looking forward to their dream nuptials after winning £100,000 on a scratchcard.
The lovebirds from Wolverhampton were not sure what kind of ceremony they could afford but now the church is booked, a honeymoon in Benidorm is planned and Carryann is looking forward to splashing out on a special dress.
When Wolves fan Lee, 27, told Carryann, 26, of his win, she refused to believe him. "He came in and said 'We can have the wedding of our dreams now'. He's a bit of a prankster, so I thought it was a joke."
And Lee, a shipping clerk at Amazon in Rugeley, found it difficult to take in himself. He bought the card at a newsagent in Blackhalve Lane when he went to draw his wages from the ATM machine.
"I don't normally buy a scratchcard," he said. "I just thought I may as well have a go, so I bought two with a bottle of pop. I scratched the first one and won a pound, so I got my money back. Then I scratched the second and it said I'd won £100,000.
"The staff kept me calm because I was shaking like a leaf. I just couldn't believe my luck and the amazing timing of it all."
Lee revealed his father Brian kept the winning scratchcard in his safe until the National Lottery staff validated the win.
And he said it had not always been easy to put aside £100 a month. Now, however, it's all systems go for a June wedding at St Thomas' Church in Wednesfield.
Lee and Carryann, who is a full-time mother to their three children, are also hoping to put some of the money towards a house so that they can live together as a family once they are married.
Carryann, of Park Village, and former Moreton School pupil Lee, who lives in The Scotlands, met six years ago at her 21st birthday party and hit it off immediately. They now hope to live more as a family with eight-year-old Tia, Renesmee, aged four and eight-month-old Ljay.
And they plan to take the children with them on honeymoon, which will be the youngsters' first trip abroad. Previously they have enjoyed caravan holidays in Barmouth. Carryann chose Benidorm as the destination because she loves the TV programme.
Lee said: "The win means we can also treat our family. The money will look after us all for a few years and set us up. It's not a huge amount, just a nice tidy sum.
"I work nights so Carryann and I are a bit like passing ships some days. It'll be nice to just sit down and do some fun wedding planning and buy treats.
"The win couldn't have come at a better time, not just for the wedding but to help buy a home for us and the children."
The couple received their cheque from Wolves' icon Steve Bull - with Lee even practising headers with his idol. Bully said afterwards: "They're such a nice, friendly couple. It's great when a big win like this happens to someone local and who are so deserving."
