By Emma Morley

Last updated 10:29, Thursday, 07 August 2008

Local singing star Micky Diamond has tied the knot – in secret.

Mick and Tracy in Gretna Green

Micky, or Mick Locke as he is known off stage, married Tracy Cooper in a quiet wedding at Gretna Green on July 12.

The couple, who live in Morton in Carlisle, had booked their wedding day for September 5, but in April this year they realised they weren’t happy with the arrangements.

Mick, who works for DHL as well as performing as singer Micky Diamond in the county’s clubs and bars, said: “We weren’t happy with the plans and decided that we wanted to keep the wedding low key. We thought about going abroad, but then we realised that Gretna Green was right on our doorstep.”

July 12 was free and Audrey from One Stop Weddings helped to organise the day.

Keeping things low key meant that Mick and Tracy only told the few guests about the wedding. The rest of their family and friends weren’t aware they were getting married.

Keeping your wedding secret isn’t easy at the best of times, but when you’re well known in the local area, it’s even harder.

The day before the wedding, Mick, 41, and best man Greg Sarson went fly-fishing in Annan. The next day they caught the train back to Carlisle and, after getting ready for the wedding, they went for a drink in the Border Reiver, where they bumped into someone Mick knew.

He said: “It looked pretty suspicious because we were dressed in wedding suits, but I said we were going to a friend’s wedding in Dumfries.”

The ceremony took place at the Old Blacksmith’s Shop at Gretna Green at 4.30pm, and the anvil was struck with a hammer after they were pronounced man and wife.

Tracy, 40, who works in dispatch at Cumbrian Newspapers, loves the colour yellow and wanted to have a sunshine colour theme. She wore a lemon dress from River Island in Carlisle and carried yellow roses and gypsophila, arranged by friend Andrea Dixon. Andrea also took the photographs.

The only guests were Greg, Andrea, Tracy’s cousin and best woman Trish Beattie and Mike Learmont. The ceremony was followed by a three-course meal at the Graham Arms in Longtown. But this was only the start of the celebrations.

They then returned to Carlisle and Mick and Tracy carried on the celebrations on Botchergate, still in wedding attire.

They enjoyed champagne in The Griffin before heading to The Cumberland Inn, where they had their first dance as newlyweds to I’ve Had The Time of My Life from the film Dirty Dancing.

The couple, who met while they were both working for Cumbrian Newspapers in 2006, then went to the soul night at The Lakes Court Hotel.

Mick, originally from Merseyside, said: “The whole day was just the way we wanted. We got rid of all the fuss that goes with having a big wedding. We wanted to keep it simple and remember the reason why we were got married.”

It wasn’t easy telling their family the following day but Mick and Tracy are holding a second celebration on September 5, the date of their original wedding, at St Margaret Mary’s Social Club in Carlisle.

“We will wear our wedding outfits,” said Mick. “There will be a buffet and a disco and I will also be singing. We want everybody to have a good time.”