WHEN Carrie Coates and Ian Horner walked down the aisle at the Holy Trinity Church in Fareham in 2004 they were just acting in a video that was being shown in schools across the county.

Thirteen years later to the day, they tied the knot in the church – for real.

In 2004, the couple took part in a mock wedding for a video on marriage.

Carrie Coates, then 23, played the bride and asked her friend Ian Horner, a fellow Butlins Redcoat, to be the groom. Carrie’s dad Stephen gave the bride away while her six-year-old cousin Brooke was their bridesmaid.

After losing touch for several years, the duo were brought back together on Facebook in 2013 and fell in love.

A short while after they re-united, Ian proposed leaving one venue they wanted for their real wedding day.

Once again Carrie’s dad walked her up the aisle of Holy Trinity with Brooke, now 19, as bridesmaid.

Fitness instructor Carrie, 36, said: “When Ian and I met up again in 2013, we used to joke about being husband and wife, and he was listed on my phone as ‘husband’. We used to wind each other up about it, but then we did fall for each other.

“Once Ian proposed, there was only one place and one date that we wanted to get married. The first thing the people at the church said was ‘Have you been married before?’, which made us laugh.

"Walking down the aisle the second time actually wasn’t so nerve-wracking. I felt at ease because I’d done it before!”

Ian, 33, who works in extreme sports, said: “We are so proud of our story. It’s such a perfect fairytale. We were always meant to be together and now we are. What a wonderful service we had for our wedding. Everyone loved it and it was so personal to us.”

Reverend Garry Roberts, who married the couple said: “It is always an honor to officiate on a couple’s big day, but the first time I met Ian and Carrie, I knew this one would be extra special.

“Playing a part in such a unique and joy-filled day will stay with me forever. I am so pleased they came back to Holy Trinity and I was able to share it with them.”

The couple now live in West Sussex.