Emmerdale actor James Moore and his stunning bride Sophie Edwards are absolutely over the moon following their magical nuptials. The star, famed for his role as Ryan Stocks on ITV's hit show, tied the knot with his special needs teacher missus at a beautiful service at Cheltenham's Manor by the Lake.
The glitzy do boasted 100 guests, including fellow Emmerdale pals. James, who lives with cerebral palsy, savoured a moment he once doubted might occur.
Sophie touched hearts recalling James' poignant speech at the evening do: "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 shared. "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."
Now kicking back in their Gloucester gaff, the blissful duo dished the dirt to OK! magazine about becoming Mr and Mrs. James, at 32, confessed, "It feels surreal," adding, "It was so busy and so intense, it's nice to have a bit of time to ourselves," reports the Mirror.
The loved-up pair, who've been an item for over five years since hitting it off on Bumble, said their 'I dos' with plenty of laughs to boot. James jested: "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 her own perspective, saying: "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."
After James popped the question during a romantic trip to Manchester, the couple spent two years meticulously planning their dream autumn wedding, with every detail reflecting their unique style. Sophie was firm about one thing: "My non-negotiable was having a bouncy castle," she confessed.
The couple also had a clear vision for their theme, stating: "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."
James also shared his thoughts on tradition, saying: "We never wanted to be particularly traditional. I mean, my suit was blooming purple! It took me months to find."
He even broke convention by choosing a best woman, his long-time friend Amy, explaining: "I've known Amy since we were teenagers - we were in that emo crowd that every town centre had in 2011," he reminisced. "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 revealed. 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 added, "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."
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