HISTORY repeated itself when Elizabeth Scott and Manassah Harris got married at a North Yorkshire church.

The wedding took place in the church at Bransby, near Easingwold, where Elizabeth's parents Giles and Clare got married 38 years earlier.

The congregation also sang exactly the same hymns - Be Thou My Vision, Praise My Soul and I Vow To Thee My Country - and heard the same reading, A Recipe For Happiness, which was written and read by Clare’s godfather Boris Mera in 1976 and then read by Boris’s son Yves, Elizabeth’s godfather, at her service.

Both receptions were held in marquees in the Scott's home village of Stearsby and there was exactly the same number of guests at both weddings, with one special guest being Jane Allen who made Clare's wedding dress in 1976, and is Elizabeth’s godmother.

Elizabeth also wore her mother’s veil, made from Brussels lace 120 years ago.

Clare said that all the memories of he wedding day in 1976 came flooding back as Elizabeth walked down the aisle. "I had a genuine sense of déjà vu," she said. "It was very emotional, especially when A Recipe for Happiness was read out."

Her husband Giles, who is a partner with Langleys Solicitors in York, said: “It is always a proud day to watch one’s daughter get married, but it felt extra special for Elizabeth to be married in All Saints in Brandsby – a church close to my heart for all sorts of reasons, not least because Clare and I were married there.”

Elizabeth, who was also christened at the church, said it had seemed a natural and obvious venue for the wedding. "Not only were my parents married there but also other family members and the church has always played a big part in our family lives," she said.

There were just one or two differences between the weddings. Whilst Giles and Clare left the church to the strains of Jeremiah Clarke’s Trumpet Voluntary, Manassah, Elizabeth went for Viva la Vida by Coldplay, and whilst the Scotts honeymooned in Cornwall and Henley, the Harris’ chose Venice.

Elizabeth, a fashion and fabric designer, met her husband Manassah, an English teacher, in 2009 through their mutual friends the Stifani twins, the Italian actors and performance artists.

“We fell madly in love and after Manassah returned from teaching in China we got engaged and within six months we were married," she said.

Giles added: “If Manassah and Elizabeth are even half as happy as Clare and I have been, they will be blessed. The auspices are good, though, judging by the similarities so far!”

Editor’s note: The groom, Mr Manassah Harris contacted us in 2020 insisting on the removal of the photograph of himself and his former wife.