Ellee Seymour

Hearing how a woman unbelievably went to a cremation she thought was for her son – only for him to turn up alive and well the following day, reminded me how I once inadvertently gate crashed the wrong wedding party.

However, while I had not met met the bride, and  barely knew the groom, it is a different matter when a mother mistakenly identifies a dead body as that of her son.

That’s what happened when Gina Partington, from Urmston in Greater Manchester, believed a dead man’s body she saw was that of her son and went to his cremation on Tuesday.

In my case, it was pouring with rain when my husband and I left for his cousin’s wedding and he dropped me off at a restaurant opposite the church where I planned to have a drink in comfort as we were early.

My husband drove off to park the car and while I was waiting in the bar, I told the waitress who I knew that I was waiting for a wedding. She told me the wedding party was in the next room and took me along to join them.

I was sipping champagne, thinking it was strange that I didn’t recognise anyone, when the bride came over and asked who I was.

Ooops! Talk about having a red face.

Have you ever been to the wrong wedding or funeral?

Share on Facebook

Yet another story is published today about a reported sighting of Madeleine McCann in Morocco.

A woman told detectives she even recognised the distinctive fleck in Madeleine’s eye, where her pupil runs into her iris.

Naoual Malhi, who alerted police about the sighting a month ago, said she had spotted Madeleine with an older woman, who tried to hide the girl.

"I knew the minute I saw her from close-up that it was Madeleine.

"She caught our attention because she was so blonde and pretty. As we walked up to them the woman tried to hide the girl behind her and shield her face.

"She was dressed in jeans and an orange jumper. She was exactly the same as in the pictures except she had a bump like a bruise on the left side of her forehead and her hair was a lot shorter, like a boy’s."

If that was the case, why didn’t the woman approach the child, speak to her, mention her suspicions to other adults nearby so they could approach them together.

If I had been in her shoes, I would have found it impossible not to speak to the child and ask her her name. If it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity, I would apologise to the family and explain my reasons, praise them for their lovely daughter and wish them a happy day.

I wouldn’t spend the rest of my time saying "if only I had …"

In memory of those who are still missing.

Share on Facebook