A NEWCASTLE United superfan ditched the traditional suit and tie on his big day to get married in a football shirt and jeans instead.
William ‘Billy’ Richardson wed partner Kim two weeks ago at Durham Registry Office in the city of Durham, just 30 minutes’ drive from his beloved team’s home ground of St James’ Park.
However, the 61-year-old and his wife, 55, decided that, having both been married before and not wanting any fuss, they’d opt for a different dress code at their ceremony.
In true Geordie fashion, Billy donned his Magpies shirt and a pair of jeans to take the vows – whilst watched on by Manchester United and Sunderland fans in similar get-up.
One snap shows Billy and Kim leaving the registry office with Billy sporting his brand new 2023/24 season Newcastle United shirt.
Sporting the side’s traditional black and white stripes, Billy has tucked the £70 shirt into his blue jeans, and wears a simple pair of black trainers to complete his wedding day outfit.
Meanwhile, Kim continues Newcastle’s colour scheme, wearing a black and white floral-patterned dress whilst also holding a bouquet of flowers.
Billy proudly shared the photo to social media a day later, saying: “Got married 14/08/23 – no suits allowed – in a Newcastle top and jeans, only way to get married, [Haway the lads].”
The snap has since received over 440 likes and dozens of comments from fellow Toon fans, whilst also racking up a further 8,000 likes and being shared elsewhere.
One member wrote: “Aw congratulations to you both, I always said if I was to get married (can’t even get a fella) it was going to be at St James’ Park.”
Another commented: “Ah you tucked it in though.”
A third said: “Heroes don’t wear capes.”
Another added : “Brilliant, I hate having to wear a suit and a collar and tie, that’s for court appearances only.”
A fifth joked: “Was Mike Ashley the wedding planner?”
Speaking today Billy’s wife Kim said: “We’ve both been married before, and we didn’t want the pomp and fuss of a big do.
“Billy and I just wanted to do things in a way we would both be comfortable, especially with our health issues.
“We agreed no suits or big wedding dresses, so it became the theme of football shirts and jeans, and the women could either wear the same or dress up.
“We had two Manchester United supporters, and a Sunderland supporter as part of our family guests, and then it turned out that the lady conducting the wedding was also a Sunderland supporter – it was great.
“We have been through the mill but come through it all, and on 13 August 2023 we had been together 15 years.
“Billy was one of my regular customers at the local Co-op, he used to call me pet, and I thought he was cute, then I plucked up the courage and gave him my phone number and two weeks later we got together.
“It turned out that our youngest sons already knew each other, and had gamer’s nights at each other’s houses, so we already knew each other’s kids before we met.
“When we got the boys together to tell them we were an item, they looked at each other and laughed.
“Billy and I both have arthritis, and can no longer work, and we came into a bit of money last year, so we decided to get married. We then went on honeymoon to Scarborough for a few days.”
Kim continued: “The ceremony itself was perfect and Ann (the registrar) made it football-themed, then I told Billy she was a Sunderland supporter after signing the register so we all had a laugh.
“Unfortunately, it was raining hard during the day so we did not get any group photos outside but we went back to our local pub for a few drinks and we were surprised with a wedding cake with our picture on it. It was the perfect day.
“Billy is a massive [Newcastle] fan, he used to have two season tickets and went to every home game he could, but ill health stopped it as he is unable to travel far any more.
“He even said if he couldn’t get married in his Toon top, he wasn’t getting married.
“It was his day too and I love the Toon almost as much as him, which is why I had a black and white dress, and during the signing of the register the music we chose to play was Local Hero.
“Like I say, it was Billy’s day too so we planned it all together and we loved every minute of it all.
“We had no idea until a friend commented on our photo that it had gone viral, I asked him what it meant, and he told us about the post and we were both amazed and excited.
“It had been viewed 1.3 million times. we were shocked, after all it was just our little wedding.”
