A COUPLE who were supposed to get married last weekend were dealt a tragic blow when their big day was cancelled - and the groom’s beloved grandfather died soon after.

Kylie Coughlan and Kyle Masterson from Maesglas have been together for 12 years, and had been planning their big day - booked for Saturday, May 23, for the past seven.

But, in March, they were informed the ceremony would have to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The date had been chosen especially to coincide with the birthday of Mr Masterson’s grandfather William, who was battling cancer and had said it was his dying wish to see his grandson get married.

Although the couple, parents to Eden-Jae, six, and Alfie, three, re-arranged the wedding for the earliest possible date in September in the hope that William - known as Billy to most - would be able to make it, it was not to be, and he died earlier this month, aged 82.

South Wales Argus:

L-R: William ‘Billy’ Masterson, Alfie, Eden-Jae, Kylie Coughlan, Mary (William’s wife), and Kyle

“It was so important to have him share our special day with us,” said Ms Coughlan. “It’s so surreal that we are not only grieving for the loss of our wedding but also for an incredibly special person. It’s absolutely heart-breaking.

“We wanted grandad to be a big part of our wedding, he was going to be an usher.

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“As I work in retail and Kyle is a postman, we’ve both had to just get on with it as best we can because we’re key workers.

“On Saturday Kyle went to work and I got up with the kids as normal.”

Little did the couple know that they were in for a lovely surprise to mark the day.

South Wales Argus:

The pair swapped rings on Saturday

“A few of our friends and family surprised us with cards, gifts, flowers, cakes and bubbly left on our doorstep and we were then sent a link to a video that my sister had put together for us,” Ms Coughlan added.

“To say we were emotional would be an understatement. There was a voice recording in there of my late nan singing about marriage, and the video included messages from nearly all our wedding guests, ending with a poem to Kyle’s grandad."

The video put the family in such good spirits that they decided to have their own “fake” wedding, armed with a cake, flowers, a selfie stick, and their wedding rings.

“It’s time to stop crying and make the best of the situation,” Ms Coughlan said. “We surprised as many relatives as we could by posing for photos at the end of their paths and giving them each a slice of cake. We even stopped for a quick photo outside St Stephen’s Church.”

To top it off, Kyle received an envelope containing a card from his late grandfather, containing the pocket money that he had been saving for the big day.

South Wales Argus:

William ‘Billy’ Masterson