Emmerdale's James Moore and his wife Sophie Edwards share inside details of fairytale wedding

Emmerdale's James Moore, known for portraying Ryan Stocks on the highly popular ITV soap, and his partner Sophie Edwards, who works as a special needs teacher, are basking in marital bliss following their enchanting wedding held just a few days ago. The couple shared their vows at the picturesque Manor by the Lake in Cheltenham, surrounded by 100 family members and friends, including fellow Emmerdale actors.

For James, who lives with cerebral palsy, the occasion was marked with particular significance, as he once harboured doubts about experiencing such a day.

His bride Sophie was particularly touched by his speech during the evening festivities. "When James made his evening speech, he spoke about growing up with disability and how he thought he would never find love or a wife," she disclosed to OK! magazine.

"That really tugged on everybody's heartstrings because it just proves that love is there for absolutely everybody. It was one of my highlights of the day. His speech ruined me.", reports the Mirror.

Post-wedding, the new Mr and Mrs are enjoying some downtime at their home in Gloucester, with James, aged 32, relaying how surreal married life feels so far. Having initially met on the dating app Bumble five and a half years ago, they injected their ceremony with humour.

James joked during his wedding address: "I joked in my speech at the wedding that we don't tell people we met on a dating app. We say we met through friends."

Sophie added a heartfelt note: "I didn't know that James was disabled until he mentioned it and I didn't know he was on Emmerdale until he said. I had to Google 'Ryan Stocks Emmerdale.' However, my mum is a big Emmerdale fan and she was ecstatic."

Following their engagement during a romantic trip to Manchester, James and Sophie gave themselves two years to plan their perfect autumn wedding, ensuring every detail matched their distinctive personalities. Sophie disclosed her one essential requirement: "My non-negotiable was having a bouncy castle," as the two shared a mutual idea for their special day, "We wanted pumpkins. We knew we weren't going to wear the traditional colours so my dress was blush and James' suit was Dairy Milk purple."

Echoing the sentiment of crafting their own traditions, James remarked, "We never wanted to be particularly traditional. I mean, my suit was blooming purple! It took me months to find."

In an unconventional twist, he appointed his best woman instead of a best man, his longtime friend Amy, "I've known Amy since we were teenagers - we were in that emo crowd that every town centre had in 2011," he remembered with affection. "We met in Cheltenham and she's always been there for me. When I was picking people to be in my groom's party, I thought, 'Do I need to have a best man? Because Amy is my best friend so why can't it be her? '".

The wedding was filled with personal touches, from a Lego station for guests to create mini-figures to a donut wall inspired by the couple's favourite show 'The Simpsons'. With the help of family, they crafted a day that was unmistakably theirs, "Decorations, flowers - we did all of that ourselves with James' sister, mum and nieces," Sophie explained.

Even the table centrepieces were a family creation, "The centrepieces on the tables were knitted pumpkins that James' mum had made. She'd been knitting them for about six months! ".

"We hole-punched leaves with a heart hole-punch to make the confetti. We had a temporary tattoo station with tattoos of Pokemon, flowers and black cats in homage to our cat Bubba. Those little things make it so much more personal" Emmerdale's Emma Atkins and Mark Charnock were among the guests who gathered at the historic manor set in the idyllic Cotswolds for the outdoor ceremony not only was it a sight to behold, but it was also fully accessible. "We went to some venues but due to historical preservation they tend to be inaccessible," shared James, a wheelchair user.

Sophie expressed her frustration, saying, "We're in 2024 but there are some venues that just aren't accessible. It's nobody's fault, it's how some of these historic buildings were built but the manor has always been so inclusive. They made sure the ramps were down and ensured James always had a straw with his drink. They couldn't be more helpful and again, it promotes the message that marriage can be for anybody, regardless of their ability."

On the day of her wedding, after spending the previous night away from her partner James, Sophie got ready with her maid of honour Beth and bridesmaids. Despite feeling nervous, Sophie, who looked stunning in a full-length pink gown, felt absolutely beautiful.

She said, "I'm more of a plus-size bride, I'm bigger than James and that's OK. In society, it's like, 'If you're bigger than your husband, then let's not go there,' but my friends and the staff were just so complimentary and beautiful, it made me feel so accepted and like I can be loved for my size."

James, gazing at his beautiful bride, commented, "You looked beautiful. Everyone was talking about how beautiful you looked."

The most touching moment occurred when Sophie, an avid McFly fan, walked down the aisle to the band's hit 'All About You'. Recounting the moment, she said, "My mum gave me away - James was crying, I was crying and I looked over at my three older brothers and they were just in pieces,".

James' five year old nephew delivered a touching speech quoting Winnie the Pooh during the ceremony, leaving many in tears. "I prepared my speech the week before and when I started writing it, it all just came out," James confessed.

"I wanted to discuss my life up to this point, Sophie, her family, my family and my colleagues. I had a lot to squeeze in and I did wonder, 'Is this dragging on for too long? '" However, their guests hung onto every word. "I teach special educational needs children and James comes in to do drama workshops with them," Sophie shared.

"They love him because he walks differently and talks differently just like them. I almost wish they were there to hear his speech so I can be like, 'Look, marriage can be for anybody! '".

Following an emotional ceremony and reception, the atmosphere lightened on the dance floor - with James' Emmerdale co-stars playing a significant role. "They are a whole lot of fun," James laughed.

"Despite attending award shows with them, I'd forgotten what they're like when they hit the dance floor. They really go for it. We split the Emmerdale guys over two tables because there were so many of them and they fit right in."

Emmerdale favourites Emma Atkins, Dominic Brunt, and Mark Charnock joined James Moores wedding celebrations, which brought joy and laughter to the occasion. Sophie fondly remembered, "It felt surreal having James' mum, my mum and Emma there - all the mums in one place. Dominic and Mark were so funny and just so energetic. Dominic bought us some Sylvanian Families as a present, which I managed to sneak on the wedding register as I'm a massive fan."

Sophie also shared, "It turns out Lawrence Robb, who plays Mackenzie Boyd, is a McFly fan so when the band's song came on, he was absolutely loving life."

The wedding guests included Rachael Gill-Davis, known for her role as Gail Loman, and Olivia Bromley, Emmerdale's Dawn Fletcher. Significantly, Ash Palmisciano, who portrays Matty Barton, played a special part in the festivities.

James opened up about his connection with Ash, saying, "Ash was part of my groom's party - we came into Emmerdale at the same time. I'm disabled and playing a disabled character, he's trans and playing a trans character so we bonded early on because of the commonalities we have," and expressed their growing friendship, "In the last year, seeing him more outside of work, we've become so much closer. He's met all my friends from Cheltenham and we're planning when we'll next hang out as a group. I haven't felt like that in ages - where we have a group that all get together. I'm really happy that Ash and his girlfriend Shea are a part of that."

James Moore, who took a brief hiatus from Emmerdale in September for his nuptials, has hinted that his character Ryan might be heading down the aisle with Gail on the show. "I think it's a possibility that Ryan and Gail get married. They're working together, living together, they're in a very serious relationship," he revealed.

Since joining the soap in 2018, James has been touched by the positive reactions from those affected by cerebral palsy. "Even people who come up to me and say, 'My friend or my sister or my cousin has cerebral palsy.' That means a lot," he said.

Sophie, his bride, has always been captivated by his approach to life, expressing, "The thing I love most about James is his can-do attitude. He's thoughtful, generous, incredibly handsome," and she continued, "If he wants to do something, there's no stopping him. You don't let anything hold you back and that really inspires me."

The newlyweds are eyeing a Florida getaway for their honeymoon next year, with plans to expand their family later on. "We want to go to Universal Studios, Disney, The Simpsons Park," Sophie disclosed.

James added, "We can't do it straight away. We're looking at next Easter but also we want to save for a house. We want to start a family in 2026 or 2027 but we need a house first. We need the room. I've got too many vinyl records to fit a baby in our flat! " Yet, Sophie may need to declutter her Sylvanian Families collection to make space. "I've got too many! They're everywhere. What's mine is James' - apart from the Sylvanians."

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