IT WAS a case of here comes the bride - and there she goes again when the wedding of two Southampton students clashed with their graduation ceremony.

The happy couple made a hasty appearance at Southampton Register Office before dashing off to the Turner Sims Concert Hall a few hours later to file up the aisle again, this time to pick up a well-earned degree.

As bride Leslie Perkins, 42, still in her white bridal dress and husband Colin McKewan, 51, in his kilt, picked up their graduation scrolls, the organist played Here Comes the Bride.

Instead of setting off on honeymoon, the pair of archaeology students headed for Portsmouth to work on the wreck of the historic ship Mary Rose.

The couple, who met seven years ago, tied the knot at 10.30am before setting off for a wedding feast with friends and relatives.

But the bash had to be cut short so the newlyweds could race across the city for their joint Southampton University ceremony at 4.45pm.

Leslie said: "I was quite worried about the timing as we did not have long to celebrate before the graduation ceremony began.

"But it turned out perfectly. Everyone grabbed a taxi and we made it across the city with five minutes to spare to take some graduation photographs before the ceremony started.

"I had not planned to wear my wedding dress but nine friends and one university professor persuaded me to stay in it for the graduation ceremony because they thought I looked so amazing. Looking back I'm glad I did as it made the event more special."

The wedding was organised in three weeks so that American-born Leslie's relatives who were visiting for graduation could see the couple marry.

Leslie graduated with a MSc in Archaeological Sciences while Colin collected an MA in Maritime Archaeology.