A Manchester bride received a personal video message from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on her wedding day after she playfully asked him not to ruin her special occasion. Sarah 'Saz' Burwin had feared her wedding would be overshadowed by the official opening of Number 10 North, the government's new northern base.
Bride's plea goes viral
Number 10 North was launched by Andy Burnham last month in Heron House, overlooking Albert Square in Manchester city centre. The registry office where Saz was due to marry is in the same building, with its entrance round the corner on Lloyd Street. Several wedding parties were seen entering the building during a significant police presence when it was formally inaugurated.
In a TikTok clip titled 'Andy Burnham please don't ruin my wedding', Saz said: "I saw you set up your new gaff, Number 10 North, at Heron House. I saw it on the news, gorgeous, love what you've done with the place. But I'm actually getting married there on the 21st of August, and on the news today, the place was surrounded with police, bollards, all sorts. A lot of stuff that wasn't there before."
She added: "My trouble is, I was planning to get nice photos like after, the registry office, outside, and I'm just a bit worried that all of this is kind of ruining the vibe. So I would really appreciate it if you were maybe not there that day. I mean, you're welcome, you're invited. But maybe without the escorts, the police escorts. The guys with the rifles and s**t, because I've got a content creator coming."
Burnham's response and wedding day surprise
At the time, Mr Burnham replied on TikTok: "Noted Saz." After her wedding on Friday, Saz shared an update on social media featuring a special video message Mr Burnham had recorded for her inside Number 10 North, shown to her and her new husband after they exchanged vows.
In the clip, the PM said: "Saz, an absolutely huge congratulations to you and Fred on your wedding day. Thank you so much for the invite, but sadly, I'm honouring your initial request for me to stay out of the way, as I'm filming this as I'm about to leave Number 10 North for the day. Hopefully that's good news for your content creator, though. But I couldn't let the day go by without sending you both a message. I hope you have the best day celebrating and thank you for being such a good sport about Number 10 North suddenly being such a big part of your big day."
He continued: "The DJ set will have to wait for another time, sadly, but I hope you play some good tunes on my behalf, some big Manchester bangers. Anyway, huge congratulations to you both, it's great to see Number 10 North already bringing people together."
Reaction and aftermath
Saz, who had been chronicling her wedding preparations on social media, was seen gasping in surprise and chuckling as the message was played. She exclaimed afterwards: "Oh my god! What a lad. I love him. I'm best mates with Andy Burnham."
In response to her TikTok post, Mr Burnham wrote: "Hope you and Fred had an amazing day Saz! Sorry I couldn't do that DJ set..." She responded, stating he had 'made our day.'
