Married: Shropshire bride defies school so son can attend wedding

Clare McLeary defied the rules to take her son out of his primary school in Clive, near Wem, to join the celebrations on her big day.

Mrs McLeary took nine-year-old Riley Bryant out of lessons for three days so he could watch her tie the knot with fiance Andy McLeary, 37, in Newquay, Cornwall, on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old police call handler said she wrote to Clive Church of England School asking for permission to let her son miss three days this week.

But the school refused, saying the wedding failed to fulfil the criteria of "exceptional circumstances" necessary to legitimately take children out of class in term time.

However, Shropshire Council has since said it would not fine the newlyweds as Riley had not missed 10 half days in a year.

Speaking as the couple posed for photos, Mrs McLeary said she had been prepared to face prosecution to make sure Riley was able to be part of the couple's big day.

"This is one of the happiest days of my life and I wanted Riley here beside me," she said.

Riley, who lives with his mum and step-dad Andy in Wem, said: "I don't like missing school but I wouldn't miss seeing her get married for the world.

"I'm chuffed to bits to be part of my mum's big day. I enjoyed throwing the confetti on her and Andy.

"I was quite upset when my mum told me the school weren't giving me permission to go to the wedding but all that's the last thing from my mind. I just wanted to support my mum."

If parents fail to ensure their children attend school, they can be issued with penalty notices of £50 to £100. Prosecution can result in a fine of up to £2,500, a jail sentence of up to three months or a community sentence.