Dad dies at the altar moments before getting married in wedding tragedy

A terminally ill dad died at the altar right before he was supposed to marry his long-term partner as tragedy struck in front of loved ones at the wedding.

Paul Wynn – described as a “fantastic dad” to his 11 kids – passed away just moments before he was due to tie the knot to Alison Wynn.

His 38-year-old bride was walking down the aisle with her son when she watched in horror as their desperate family sprang from their seats to try and save his life, the Daily Record reports.

The mortifying scene hit the Saltcoats Town Hall wedding last Friday just eight days after Paul had been told by doctors that he had cancer.

Medics broke the news to Paul that the disease was in his pancreas and that it had spread to his liver and lungs. He was given anywhere between six weeks and two months left to live.

The Stevenston couple, who have five children together, brought forward their nuptials in a bid to get hitched in the short time they had left together but, tragically, their final wish wasn’t fulfilled.

Speaking to Ayrshire Live, Alison – who changed her surname by deed poll a few years ago – said the heartbreaking event has left her family devastated.

And she said: “If I had known we didn’t have long I would’ve tried to arrange the wedding for the beginning of the week. He never actually got any treatment.”

Alison left her home on the afternoon of Friday, June 25 feeling overwhelmed after organising a wedding at such short notice.

However, the blushing bride realised she’d forgotten her flowers and waited around 10 minutes outside Saltcoats town hall for a friend to bring them to the venue.

Alison said: “By the time I had gotten my flowers and went up the stairs. Everything seemed to be okay although Paul seemed to be a bit uncomfortable by this point and his kilt had been loosened a wee bit to help him feel more comfortable.

“He had actually been wheeled up in an office chair into the lift and taken up the stairs as he had no energy to get up to the room. He was out of breath and struggling from what I was told.”

The couple’s eldest child, Sandy, 20, walked Alison down the aisle once the 20 guests were seated shortly before 2pm.

But as Alison made her way into the room, she quickly realised something wasn’t right as Paul was slumped in the chair that had brought him to the ceremony.

“By the time I got to him I called his name a couple of times,” Alison said.

“He didn’t turn round, he didn’t look at me and I realised there was something wrong and I started breaking down and I started shouting his name and we knew something wasn’t right.”

Danielle Sood, a good friend of the couple, was Paul’s best woman at the wedding and she and her sister got Paul off the chair and on to the ground.

First-aiders dashed to help Paul by administering CPR and using a defibrillator but he couldn’t be revived.

“It was hard,” Alison admitted. “It’s taken me a wee while to get to where I am now and every day just seems to merge into one.

“It feels like only yesterday that it happened. I’m having to get up and moving every day for the sake of my children but I can’t eat.

“Paul and I lost a child in 2004 after I had a miscarriage so it give me a bit of comfort that he’s up there with our child. His mother passed away in 2020 so at least he’s with her now too.”

Paul first contacted his GP about symptoms in May this year after constantly bleeding from his navel and was alarmed at how much weight he was losing without actively trying to slim down.

Eventually, Paul was struggling to eat and keep food down and was only able to consume liquids.

An endoscopy showed that he had three hernias and a CT scan the following day provided the devastating news that he had cancer. He died just over a week later.

Paul proposed to Alison at a friend’s house in October 2019 and the happy couple set the date for July 16 this year but brought the ceremony forward after the crushing diagnosis.

After meeting in 1999 through the Jehovah’s Witnesses religious group, the pair had an on-and-off relationship throughout their 21-year history.

The happy union brought the couple five kids: Sandy, 20; Tarquin, 15; Marcus, 13; Louise, eight; and Poppy, four.

A freelance photographer, Paul has been described as one of the most lovely guys you could ever meet.

Alison said: “Paul loved going out and taking pictures of anything and everything.

“We were his life, he would do anything for his kids. He would move heaven and earth for his kids and everyone loved him.

“He would give you every last penny he had. He made sure that everyone got before him. He was there for everybody.

“He really was a fantastic dad and his kids were his life.

“Paul was never a man to go to the pub or anything like that and if he went anywhere he went with me or with the kids; he never went anywhere without us.”

Now a fundraising bid has been launched to support the family during these difficult times to pay for Paul’s funeral.

Anyone that wants to donate can do so here: https://gofund.me/8557c958

Paul’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, July 6 at Stevenston High Road Cemetery at 2pm.