Wedding sponsored by Bingo Club halted by the vicar

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A couple who won £5,000 towards the cost of their wedding in exchange for displaying an online Bingo Club logo at their nuptials have had to cancel their plans after the vicar marrying them refused to let the sponsored wedding go ahead.

The couple from Newcastle-upon-Lyne had planned to tie the knot in Ballater in Scotland where the bride has family connections. However the vicar who was due to perform the wedding ceremony, Rev Tony Watts, is refusing to allow the bingo company to display logos in his church or take photographs for advertising as he believes it will promote gambling.

28-year-old bride-to-be Suzanne Latta and her fiancé Matt Brown, 37, beat off competition from hundreds of other couples to clinch the £5,000 prize. The national competition attracted widespread attention and is reported to be the first occasion in the UK where a company had officially attempted to sponsor a wedding in exchange for advertising.

In exchange for the £5,000 the competition winners were required to display the bingo company’s logo on the bride’s dress, suits, invitations, shoes, menus and even the place settings at the reception.

Ms Latta described feeling delighted after she and her husband-to-be were named as the winners of the Bingo Bride competition.

However following the decision from their vicar to ban the onlinebingoclub.co.uk logo from his church, the couple will now have to go ahead with their marriage next month, with £5,000 less in their wedding budget.