Paul McCartney attends his brother Mike’s wedding as best man

Hush-hush wedding for Mike McGear

Michael McCartney, of Liverpool’s Scaffold pop and satire group, was married this afternoon to a girl he met two years ago, Rochdale-born Angela Fishwick. The wedding took place quietly in the village church at Carrog, near Corwen, North Wales.

Mike is 24 and his bride a year younger. They first met at a party given by Pacemaker Gerry Marsden. Best man at the wedding was Mike’s brother, Beatle Paul McCartney. They are the sons of Mr. Jim McCartney, of Gayton, Wirral. The bride, who has been living at Claughton, Birkenhead, was given away by her father, Mr. Frank Fishwick.

Her principal bridesmaid was her elder sister, Stephanie Fishwick, who had flown back from the United States specially for the occasion.

After the ceremony, which was kept hush-hush to avoid any danger of the church being besieged by pop fans, there was a reception at Mike’s home. Among the guests were Paul’s girl friend, actress Jane Asher, the other two members of the Scaffold, Roger McGough and John Gorman, Graham Nash, of the Hollies, and the Four Most group.

Tonight Mike (in the Scaffold he goes under the name of Mike McGear) and his bride motor to Scotland for a three-day honeymoon. He has to be back on Tuesday when the Scaffold have a date at Cambridge University.

From Liverpool Echo – June 7, 1968

Beatle Paul best man for brother at Carrog

Beatle Paul McCartney slipped quietly into the picturesque Welsh village of Carrog, near Corwen, Merioneth, yesterday to keep an important date at the altar. His red-haired actress friend, Jane Asher, sat in the back seat as Paul drove his Aston Martin through the village streets to the parish church just before three o’clock. But Paul’s role in the closely guarded secret wedding as best man to his younger brother Mike, 24-year-old member of the Scaffold (Thank you very much) Group.

Mike married attractive brunette Angela Fishwick a 23-year-old hairstylist of 5 Ashburton Avenue, Oxton, Wirral. Paul’s seven-year-old step-sister Ruth McCartney dressed in a pageboy suit, smiled as the famous Beatle stole a kiss from the bride. Paul’s father, Jim McCartney, who married his second wife Angela at the same church two years ago said: “They wanted a quiet wedding and no fuss.”

The Vicar of Carrog, the Rev. David Bevan, who moved to Carrog four years ago after being Chaplain at Walton Hospital, and whose wife Mary is related by marriage to the McCartneys, confirmed: “We were all sworn to secrecy but somehow it leaked out this morning. They are a lovely couple and have often come here to fish in the river.”

From The Daily Post (Merseyside) – June 8, 1968

White for the groom, a Beatle for best man… and the bride had a toy pig

BEATLE Paul McCartney’s brother Mike got married yesterday. And, one way and another, it was quite a memorable little wedding. Mike, one of The Scaffold pop group, who uses the stage surname of McGear, turned up at the church in a white suit with a black shirt, and daisies in his buttonhole.

His bride, hair stylist Angela Fishwick, wore a full-length oyster-coloured dress and carried a bouquet of orchids and a toy piglet.

Paul, who had a dark blue suit complete with turn-ups, arrived arm-in-arm with actress Jane Asher and acted as best man and a sort of stage manager.

The couple and their wedding party drove from Liverpool for the ceremony in the Welsh village of Carrog, Merioneth, where they used to go fishing.

Mike, 24, explained: “I’m wearing this suit because I like white.” The piglet? “Angela made this,” he said. “It’s our best friend.”

From Daily Mirror – June 8, 1968

Best wishes in Beatle style…

It’s the big get-together for the McCartney family… Beatle Paul put his arm round his girl friend Jane Asher while his “Scaffold” brother Mike, 24, just married, hugs his wife Angela. Occasion was the reception at his father’s home.

Mike — McGear when singing “Thank You Very Much” — turned up for his wedding at a Welsh village church in a white suit, carrying a toy piglet. His bride, hair stylist Angela Fishwick, 23, of Birkenhead, wore a full-length oyster-coloured dress and carried a bouquet of orchids.

Beatle Paul was more conventional. He wore a blue suit, plus turn-ups. The wedding took place in St. Bridgets, Carrog, near Corwen, Merioneth. The couple are spending their honeymoon “driving around the Scottish mountains for a few days.“

From Daily Record – June 8, 1968

BEATLE GEORGE’S U.S. DASH FOR 3-MINUTE SPOT

BEATLES George Harrison and Ringo Starr made a 12,000 mile lightning weekend trip to Hollywood
last weekend. They flew out on Thursday of last week and were due back early this week. The reason for the trip?

George Harrison was making a three-minute appearance in a film being made with sitarist Ravi Shankar. And Ringo went along “just for the ride.’’

Press officer Tony Barrow told MM: “George had promised to make the appearance in the film and intended to do it when the group were in India, but was unable to do so. So he flew to the West Coast specially to keep his promise and Ringo accompanied him.”

They were only in America for about three days and undertook no other business during the trip.

Recording on the Beatles’ album was suspended over the weekend. Paul McCartney went with Jane Asher to North Wales to attend the wedding of brother Mike Mc Gear of the Scaffold at Carrog near Corwen, Merionethshire. Mike married 23-year-old hair stylist Angela Fishwick, whom he met at a Wirral discotheque four years ago.

From Melody Maker – June 15, 1968

REVOLUTION REPORT – HOW THE BEATLES RECORDED THEIR NEW SINGLE

[…] After a week of sessions “Revolution” was going well and Ringo’s “This Is Some Friendly” had got under way. AT THAT POINT SESSIONS WERE SUSPENDED FOR SIX DAYS BECAUSE GEORGE WAS OFF TO CALIFORNIA TO FILM WITH RAVI SHANKAR IN HOLLYWOOD WITH RINGO AND YOURS TRULY GOING ALONG FOR THE RIDE TO KEEP HIM COMPANY. AT THE SAME TIME PAUL HAD AN IMPORTANT ENGAGEMENT TO KEEP UP NORTH ON MERSEYSIDE – HE WAS BEST MAN AT THE WEDDING OF HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, MIKE (MICHAEL McGEAR OF THE SCAFFOLD).

Paul motored north in his Aston Martin for the wedding, taking Jane [Asher] with him. Jane got a day off from her rehearsals especially to attend. And they took with them the massive Martha and the new and very small Yorkshire terrier puppy which Paul had just given to Jane. The pup has been named Edgar but answers to Eddy if and when he is prepared to answer to anything! Both dogs seemed to enjoy the wedding but Martha didn’t like the crowds at the reception party afterwards and was allowed to leave early!

By now, if you read your newspapers, you don’t need me to tell you that Mike’s bride was a lovely Lancashire lass named Angela and the couple were married in the picturesque North Wales village of Carrog, near Corwen in Merioneth.

After the three o’clock ceremony everybody popped over the road for a quick celebration drink before driving back to “Rembrandt”, the Gayton, Cheshire, home of Paul and Mike’s father. More than 50 guests gathered for the reception – including Mike’s fellow Scaffold friends John Gorman and Roger McGough and the Fourmost, who stayed a couple of hours and then dashed off to play that night’s engagement.

The champagne party went on well into the night with fireworks on the lawn and a bit of a nuptual sing-song around the grand piano. Unfortunately, Jane had to leave early to return to London for Saturday morning rehearsals but Paul was able to stay on an do all the conventional Best Man duties, like reading out the greetings telegrams and sticking tin cans and toilet rolls to the back of the car which was talking Mike and Angela away on their honeymoon. […]

From The Beatles Monthly Book, July 1968, N°60