PRINCE William and Kate Middleton were not the only couple getting married on Friday, as a lovestruck pair from Orpington tied the knot.

Lorraine and Scott Bing had been planning to marry on April 29 since February last year, and were thrilled to say "I do" on the day of the royal wedding.

Mr and Mrs Bing, of Nicholson Road, who have been together eight years and have two sons, held their wedding and reception at The Warren in Hayes at 3.30pm.

They were joined by 50 guests for the ceremony and 130 for the reception at the large country house in Croydon Road.

Mrs Bing, 31, who works in financial services, said: “When we found out William and Kate were getting married the same day as us, we could not believe it.

“All my friends were texting me to say they couldn’t believe it, and we were just shocked.

“But we were pleased, as all the hype around their wedding added an extra dimension to our day, as the countdown to their wedding was also the countdown to ours."

She added: “We did not consider changing the date, because to our family and friends our wedding was always going to be the most important one.

“We even bought little mugs with our pictures on to mimic the royal wedding mugs.

“Also, the royal wedding meant it was a bank holiday, so all our guests didn’t have to book a day off work to be there.

“We found there were lots of little bonuses like this.”

Mrs Bing says she and her friends had the royal wedding on the TV as they were getting ready for her ceremony, and had fun comparing her dress with the Duchess of Cambridge’s.

She said: “I went for a 1950s ballerina style dress with lots of detail, and I was very happy with it.”

The wedding of Mr Bing, 36, who runs his own home security company and Mrs Bing, was very much a family affair.

Their three-year-old son Thomas walked his mum down the aisle while his 18-month-old brother James watched.

And national holidays seem to be entwined with the fate of the Bing family, as Scott and Lorraine got engaged on Christmas Day 2009 and Thomas was born on Christmas Day 2007.

Mr and Mrs Bing jetted off to Tenerife on Sunday for their honeymoon.