A HAPPY couple took to the skies after winning the wedding of their dreams. Picture and video by Colin Mearns.

Pauline Irving, 29, and her fiance Frank Paterson, 34, from Rutherglen, entered an Evening Times competition to win an all-expenses wedding at Shieldhill Castle near Biggar.

And as an added extra Heli Air Helicopters, which has just moved into Scotland, took them on a pre-wedding helicopter flight over the area.

The prize, worth more than £6000, features a wedding package for 40 guests, including the wedding ceremony, wine, marquee hire and three course meal.

Pauline Irving, 29, and her fiance Frank Paterson, 34, from Rutherglen, entered an Evening Times competition to win an all-expenses wedding at Shieldhill Castle near Biggar.

And as an added extra Heli Air Helicopters, which has just moved into Scotland, took them on a pre-wedding helicopter flight over the area.

The prize, worth more than £6000, features a wedding package for 40 guests, including the wedding ceremony, wine, marquee hire and three course meal.

Pre-wedding night accommodation for the bride and groom and their parents is also included at the luxury South Lanarkshire venue.

Shop assistant Pauline said the couple had already chosen their wedding date for this October, the fourth anniversary of when they got together.

They met after Frank, who works in a sawmill, came into her work to buy his lunch.

She said: "We're ecstatic. When we got the phonecall two weeks ago to say we'd won and it took me two days to get over the shock.

"Where the venue is, there's just no way on earth we could have got married somewhere like that.

"Weddings are so expensive. If we did it ourselves, it would have been nice but a lot more low-key. We can start our married life a bit better now and put the money we've saved towards buying a house together.

"It's going to be nice for us to have a wedding we never dreamed of."

Pauline, who has a 10-year-old son Jamie from a previous relationship, said it was her step-mum, Maureen, who pointed out the competition to her.

She then collected three tokens and sent off her details to the Evening Times, beating hundreds of other applicants to win the special day.

Her fiance, Frank, added: "It's unbelievable. When we entered it, we never thought it would be us that won.

"We got engaged last July, so we thought it would be another three years before we would be able to get married, so this is just brilliant."

fiona.mckay@ eveningtimes.co.uk