A recovering alcoholic held his wedding reception at the Northampton centre that helped him to kick his addiction.
Reg Royle, aged 61, from St James, married Margaret Perkins, aged 64, at Queensgrove Methodist Church in Kettering Road on Sunday.
The Bridge Programme in Gold Street, which helps those with substance abuse, hosted a teetotal reception for the couple.
Mr Royle, who has not drunk any alcohol in over a year-and-a-half, said: “The Bridge Programme opened my eyes and I haven’t looked back since I went there. It’s a fantastic place. The people there are my family and friends and that is why I wanted the reception there and I wanted them to be there.”
The grandfather-of-two met his wife three years ago when he was sleeping rough and she was a volunteer at homeless shelter, the Northampton Hope Centre, where he went for help.
He said: “I know what is different in my recovery now compared with the other times I have tried to give up drinking and that is Margaret. She has stuck by me through thick and thin. This woman is a miracle worker for me.”
Mr Royle became homeless around five years ago after turning to alcohol because of pressures in his life.
He slept in his van and then rough on the streets until he was given accommodation by the Northampton Association for the Accommodation of Single Homeless (NAASH).
He said: “Drinking was my outlet and I am ashamed of it. I am sorry for letting people down in the past. I am so grateful to everybody who has helped me along the way.”