AN enterprising Timperley couple who came up with an ingenious way for their baby could ‘walk down the aisle’ with them on their wedding day have turned the idea into a business.

Sean and Collette Bourke, who own The Village Osteopaths, have launched Timperley-based Premier Baby Wedding Carriages.

The newlywed business partners identified there was a gap in the market when planning for their big day, which took place in County Mayo in Ireland last month.

Wanting to include all of their children, the couple enlisted Ellie, 11, as a bridesmaid and Charles, eight, as a best man; but struggled to find a way for 10-month-old daughter Darcy to travel down the aisle in style.

“With a lot of research, we realised we would have to do something ourselves to include her in the day and that was when we took the initiative and sourced our own carriage before doing it up to the high standard you see today,” said Sean, 27.

“Because of all the time and hard work that went into creating our own baby wedding carriage, it dawned on us there is a definite gap in the market for couples like us. So we’ve bit the bullet, expanded the baby wedding carriage stock ready for hire and have not looked back since.”

The baby carriage they invented is suitable for babies and toddlers up to two and a half years old. As well as being drawn down the aisle, there is space for toys to keep the baby occupies and the carriage is a perfect centrepiece for photographs at the reception.

Ever the entrepreneurs, Sean and Collette, 35, managed to juggle wedding planning with launching the business and running their existing clinic on Stockport Road. The hard work paid off, with bookings for the carriage flooding in before the couple tied the knot themselves.

“We decided to test the water at the Tatton Park Wedding Show in January and the response from attendees and exhibitors was extraordinary,” said Collette.

Bookings have come as far away as Essex and Athlone in Ireland and the couple have now set their sights on bigger – and furrier – things.

“We’ve only just started but we’re already looking at expanding into providing carriage for pets for weddings,” added Collette.

For more information about Premier Baby Wedding Carriages, email info@babyweddingcarriages.com or call 0161 711 0470.