These two sisters 'hated each other' as teens but grew up to be best friends - even celebrating a double wedding with their husbands.
Aaliyah Purdy married Luke Purdy just minutes before her sister Tyara Tolley tied the knot with Joe Tolley in a joint celebration attended by 200 friends and family members in July. The women appointed 19-year-old sister Tia Nash to be their joint maid of honour but selected their own bridesmaids - who all wore the same dress.
Their property investor dad Erol Blake, 57, had to put a double shift in, walking 26-year-old Tyara down the aisle before hot-footing it back to accompany 27-year-old Aaliyah. What initially started out as a joke snowballed into a genuine option - though it took Joe, 26, a while to come round to the idea due to wanting him and Tyara to have their own special day.
But the newlywed jokes the joint wedding was presented as a done deal by the sisters - something he concedes turned out to be great. Stunning photos from the £20,000 wedding show the happy couples posing at The Holt Fleet in Worcester, Worcestershire, surrounded by friends and family.
Despite having a wonderful day, Aaliyah admits their first choice of venue dashed their hopes, refusing to host a double wedding - assuming it was because they wouldn't pocket as much cash with a two-for-one celebration. Aaliyah, from Dudley, West Midlands, said: "I think a lot of people would be shocked that we did a joint wedding.
"My relationship with my sister is really good now, we're best friends and we talk every day but when we were teenagers it wasn't quite the same, I remember how much we fought and we hated each other.
"Now we get on really well, we're best friends. After I got engaged I knew I wanted to get married relatively quickly.
"My sister and I joked about the idea [of a joint wedding] and then we asked the grooms. Initially Joe said no, he didn't want to, but then he came round to the idea and then it became a serious idea and not a joke anymore.
"The venue we initially wanted to get married in said they didn't want to do a joint wedding so we had to find another one. We don't know why, we can only assume it was for financial reasons and they'd get more money if they did two weddings instead of one.
"The venue we got married in, we just loved it. It's right on the river in Worcester, it's a beautiful setting. As soon as we both saw it we both just knew it was the one after the other one said no."
Assistant accountant Aaliyah and young person advisor for social services Luke, 28, got engaged in August 2020 and knew they wanted to get married soon after. Childhood sweethearts civil servant Tyara and car after-sales advisor Joe had already been engaged for two years [engaged July 2018] by the time Aaliyah started wedding planning.
Jokes about getting hitched in a double ceremony, like the Bennett sisters in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, soon turned serious and after some convincing on Joe's part all four were onboard. The loved-up couples picked a date, wedding venue, pink colour scheme and bridal party - ensuring that although a joint celebration they had their own special touches.
Aaliyah said: "We're both pretty laid back, we're very similar people so we had similar ideas. Our dresses weren't matching but were similar, they complemented each other.
"We had a pink colour scheme. We shared our maid of honour, our little sister, and we had our own bridesmaids, ten in total, who wore the same dress. Tyara walked down the aisle first with my dad and then he had to come back up to walk me down the aisle.
"She sat down, I got married, then I sat down and she stood up and got married. The registrar did ask if all four of us wanted to stand up there and do 'I do, I do, I do, I do,' but we thought it was a bit much.
"It took us a while to agree on music. We left it until the day before we had to send it to the registrar. That's the one thing we couldn't agree on - the aisle song. In the end we got the piano version of Gyptian's 'Hold You'. Tyara picked the music to walk back up the aisle, it was Khalid's 'Better'."
Mum-of-two Aaliyah said despite some initial reservations the day was a huge hit. Aaliyah said: "At first everyone was surprised at us having a joint wedding but after experiencing it everyone thought it was amazing.
"Everyone had the best day. It was such a good atmosphere too because there were so many people. It was really good. Sharing my wedding day with my sister was amazing. It was unique, I'd never change it.
"It's nice not to have all the attention on you for a day and to share it with somebody else. I can imagine it's a bit more overwhelming if you're doing it yourself. After having our children, it was the best day of our lives."
Tyara, currently on honeymoon in Paris, said: "I don't remember who came up with the idea of a double wedding at first. We joked about it and then it became a thing. Having a double wedding appealed to me as she likes to be the centre of attention and I'm the more laidback one.
"She went first and then it was me so the pressure was off almost. Joe took a little bit of convincing at first, he wanted his own day, but he came round to the idea. It was amazing having a double wedding, I wouldn't do it any other way."
Aaliyah's husband Luke said: "When the idea was put to me I liked the idea straight away. I liked the idea of fewer eyes on me and Aaliyah and it being spread across the four of us. I also liked the idea of it being half the price, I was all for it."
Tyara's husband Joe said: "I wasn't keen on the thought of a joint wedding at first. I just always thought it would be our own day. I don't know if I was more persuaded or more [told] 'it's happening' rather than really having a choice. In the end it turned out to be a good thing. It was great to have them there sharing the moment with us, it took a lot of pressure off everyone being focused on us two on the day."
