Sunderland couple say '˜I do' at The Peacock after winning Echo's wedding competition

Sharon Joyce, formerly Brooke, from Grindon, thought she would try her luck during a visit to a wedding fair hosted at The Peacock to win a wedding reception worth £999 at the venue.

The couple had already decided the place was where they wanted to celebrate their special day, so when their names were pulled out of a hat in a live draw which took place on our Facebook page, they couldn’t believe it.

The new Mrs Joyce, said: “I had come in to have a look around as we had already decided we wanted our wedding reception here. I put my name down for the competition, and was over the moon when we won.

“I’ve never won anything at all - it was amazing when we got the call. The place is absolutely beautiful.”

The couple were married at Sunderland Civic Centre, with Sharon wearing a long traditional white dress with sweetheart neckline and Toni a grey and blue chequered suite.

They and their guests then made their way to The Peacock’s function suite where staff were waiting to greet the happy couple.

And they weren’t disappointed when they walked into the room after staff decorated the place in a white and blue colour theme.

Toni added: “It has been a lovely day. The staff have done a lovely job decorating the room, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The staff have been amazing throughout”

The couple plan to use the money they have saved on their honeymoon by taking a trip to Australia.

Toni added: “We would definitely recommend the venue to other couples getting married, or people hosting other functions - the room is absolutely beautiful.”

Earlier this year, the Echo teamed up with The Peacock to give away a wedding reception worth £999 to mark the opening of its function room.

After a live draw on our Facebook page during a wedding fair at The Peacock, Sharon and Toni were the first names out of the hat.

As part of the prize, the couple won a glass of wine for each guest upon arrival, a three-course wedding breakfast meal for 50 guests and an evening buffet.

The Peacock general manager Paul Scott said he hoped the wedding fair and contest will showcase what the venue has to offer and that it is open and available for hire.

He said “A lot of people still don’t realise that the function room is here so the wedding fair was really successful at getting that message out there.”

He added: “It looks totally different to how it used to look and has had a lot of investment made in its transformation. “It has its own entrance, toilets and bar so is perfect for functions. Plus, it’s right in the city centre, so is a bit of a hidden gem really.”

Named after a coaching inn which stood on the site from 1770 to 1834, The Peacock, formerly The Londonderry, was bought by The Mac Trust culture group as part of the emergence of the city’s Cultural Quarter, centred around the renovation of The Fire Station.

The main pub pulled its first pint in May 2017, while the function room upstairs opened later after a major investment renovating the former Flares and Reflex site.