IT WAS a ‘supersonic’ day for a couple from Rossendale after they got married on Concorde.

Matthew Atherton and Gwen Dickson tied the knot after a whirl-wing romance of four years.

And the couple threw a party underneath the wings of the retired aircraft at the Runway Visitor Park at Manchester Airport.

The couple, who both work for EasyJet and volunteer with the RAF air cadets, bonded instantly when they met over their shared passion for flying.

Matthew, a captain for easyJet, met cabin crew member Gwen at a formal air cadets’ dinner in Yorkshire.

He said their special day was everything they had dreamed of: “We wanted a wedding with an aviation theme but really struggled to find anything. There were a few venues we approached and either they didn’t have a licence or just didn’t want our money.

“Then we saw the Concorde tour in London and wondered if we could do something in Manchester.

“The day was fabulous we hired a band who held a ceilidh right underneath the plane after we had cleared the tables away."

At the end of the wedding, the couple took off in a light aircraft to Liverpool, staying at a luxury hotel before flying to Paris. Guests who waved them off were able to take a tour of Concorde, and were each presented with a boarding certificate.

It is not the first time Matthew, 34, has celebrated a special day aboard a special plane. He marked his 21st birthday in style, flying upside down in a 1941 Boeing Stearman.

At 25 he became one of the youngest pilots in the country after passing his Airline Transport Pilot's Licence.

Matthew had his first flying lesson on his 14th birthday, with Rossendale Air Training Corps to further his ambitions and piloted gliders at the age of 16 while still too young to drive a car.

His parents, Michael and Rosemary, live in Rising Bride Road, Haslingden.