And weddings are usually the cause of family arguments - but two women have laughed off the old cliche and gone into business together after planning their son and daughter's big day.



THEY'RE forever the butt of comedians' jokes – the in-laws.

But two families have defied the old cliche that those related through marriage don't get on by joining forces to set up a business together.

Dorothy Royal and Barbara Smiles have started a wedding planning business after they successfully arranged the wedding of Dorothy's daughter Mieka Schmidt and Barbara's son Chris Smiles.

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Perfect Weddings and Special Occasions sprang from former Hartlepool Mail reporter Mieka's big day at St Edmund's Church in Sedgefield, which took place in August.

The business arranges everything from stationery to reception chair covers and church singers.

Dorothy, who lives in Wynyard Park on the outskirts of Hartlepool, previously worked as a manager for furniture firm SCS, and Barbara is a loss prevention manager for Boots.

Dorothy says there is no place for the in-law myth to rear its ugly head as she and Barbara are the best of friends.

She said: "Obviously we have Chris and Mieka in common and we are eventually going to be grandparents of the same child.

"We are the same age, 53. I didn't know Barbara when she was younger, but apparently we both grew up in the same areas and went to the same youth club, although we didn't know each other. That's why we get on so well."

Dorothy said as Chris is an only child and Barbara wouldn't get to plan a daughter's wedding, she let her help in the traditional role of mother-of-the-bride to plan the big day.

"We planned the wedding together and everything went absolutely perfect. We enjoyed doing it, but it's not until you're actually doing it that you realise that it's such a big industry", she said.

And Barbara, who is married to Geoff and lives in Marton, in Middlesbrough, said: "We get on fantastically and are very supportive of each other and you don't normally get that.

"We are both going into this with our eyes open and if it all went pear-shaped the family wouldn't be affected."

Barbara, an area loss prevention manager for Boots Chemist, started her career with the company as a window dresser and is the creative brains of the new venture.

She said: "Mieka and Chris' wedding was an absolutely fantastic day. It was just a lovely atmosphere and it was great to see everything come together and get a good response."

Mieka and Chris met at a bus stop in Marton when they were both 13 and have been inseparable ever since.

Dorothy, who has been married to Mieka's stepfather Kevin Royal, a sales director for SCS, for 11 years, added: "Barbara and I work very well together. Chris is just like one of my own kids and Mieka has been like that to Barbara. We get on fine and that's how it should be.

"Weddings shouldn't be about families fighting. It's a bride and groom's special day and there shouldn't be any sort of bickering."

Dorothy, who also has a 21-year-old daughter called Marielle and a son called Nick, aged 32, who lives in the USA, said the two sets of families had spent lots of time together in the run-up to the wedding and often celebrate New Year's Eve together.

Speaking of her daughter's wedding, Dorothy added: "A lot of planning goes into those few hours. It was lovely. The most important thing was that Mieka was happy."

Newlywed Mieka, 26, who now lives in Thornaby with police officer Chris, said: "Chris and I were on honeymoon in Italy when my mum told me about the business and we were really happy for them both. I suppose this is quite unusual as weddings usually cause arguments.

"My mum has run a business in the past and before recently leaving work she

was a well-respected manager as well as being very talented in sales.
"Combined with Barbara's creativity and determination I can't see their business being anything other than a success."