A WEEKEND wedding ceremony proved a real throwback to a bygone era, with a nostalgic theme enthusiastically adopted by all.

The happy couple, Julie Butler and Steve Pickard, plus friends, families and other guests, all dressed the part in a 1940s-style marriage.

Passers-by took a second glance as the wedding party made their way into and out of the village Methodist Church in Whitburn, near Sunderland, on Saturday.

The couple met through a mutual passion for the 1940s, and are both members of a re-enactment society.

As many of their friends are either 1940s, or 1950s enthusiasts, they were happy to follow the couple's wish to adopt period costume for the day.

The guests were dressed in GI and other wartime service uniforms, de-mob suits and various apparel from the swing era, including nurses' uniforms from the era, plus the odd gangster and moll.

Following the service, the reception was held at Whitburn Community Association.

In keeping with the theme, the music featured mainly the hits of the 1940s, with guests getting In the Mood to the sounds of Glenn Miller, while Vera Lynn was also popular.

Julie and Steve, both appropriately in their forties and from Whitburn, have a couple of weeks to wind down from their big day, before heading for honeymoon in Barcelona.