A terminally-ill teenager married her childhood sweetheart after hundreds of people donated money to fund their dream wedding.
Callum Firks, 17, got down on one knee after first love Amber Snailham, also 17, was told cancer in her diaphragm had spread to her brain.
Amber and Callum’s big day was held at St Peter’s Church in Bishopsworth today, and the celebrations will continue at Arnos Manor Hotel.
Families and friends set about organising a huge wedding in just a matter of weeks and raised more than £6,000 to fund the big day after strangers pitched in.
The adorable pair from Bristol got married with a church ceremony and a hotel reception today.
Speaking ahead of the big day, his mum Vicky Bishop, 38, said: ‘They are a brilliant couple. They are inseparable.
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‘I can’t wait for the wedding day. I really can’t wait. I just wish them all the best.
‘Callum decided to propose after hearing the news. They had discussed marriage before.
‘He said he wanted to get engaged, even though it’s bad times with money. It has all come together. Everybody has been so amazing. It is brilliant that they’re getting married.
‘Under the circumstances it is sad, it’s really sad. Amber has been through a lot, poor girl.
‘But Callum has been there and stood by her. I’m really proud of him. I’m a single parent and I brought him up on my own.’
Amber was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour after battling diaphragm cancer since she was just 13
The couple were best friends for years after meeting at Bedminster Down School and started dating around a year ago
She had a big operation and underwent a further six months of chemo which finished in July.
But in late October she was given the devastating diagnosis that there was now a tumour in her brain.
The family initially set a modest target of £1,000 on the Bucket List Wishes GoFundMe page to cover the basic costs of the wedding and were shocked when hundreds of donations flooded in
Mum-in-law-to-be Vicky said doctors didn’t say how long they expect Amber to live for but believes it is likely to be ‘months’.
The family initially set a modest target of £1,000 on the Bucket List Wishes GoFundMe page to cover the basic costs of the wedding and were shocked when hundreds of donations flooded in.
Speaking during the fundraising campaign, Joanne Snailham, Amber’s mum, said: ‘It’s mixed emotions for everyone.’
‘We’ve had this totally devastating news, the worst thing anyone could ever possibly hear. But we’re determined to make the wedding happy and we are focusing on that.’
