Man dies from heart attack during speech at daughter’s wedding

A father of the bride suffered a fatal heart attack as he gave his speech at the reception.
Alan Bates, 65, had just begun his toast to daughter Charlotte when he collapsed.
The horrified bride, 36, was ushered out of the room by a friend as attempts were made to revive her father by guests, who included a first-aider and off-duty fireman.

Joyous occasion: Alan Bates had walked his daughter Charlotte down the aisle to marry her husband Steve Galbraith that very same day

The groom, Steve Galbraith, 42, and his new wife followed paramedics as they took Mr Bates to hospital.
But he never regained consciousness and the couple spent their wedding night in mourning.
‘He just stopped talking,’ said Mrs Galbraith. ‘He fell to the floor and there was screaming and panicking. I got rushed out of the room by one of my best friends and was sitting in the foyer. I didn’t know what was going on. I was just in stunned silence really.
‘Everything was fine during the ceremony and the photos.
‘We had drinks and canapes then we went in to sit down.’

Proud: Mrs Galbraith is glad her father, pictured left, was there to walk her down the aisle to marry Steve, pictured right with Mrs Galbraith

In contrast to the traditional wedding service running order, speeches were to be made before the meal at the Craiglands Hotel in Ilkley, West Yorkshire because Mr Bates, the first to speak, was particularly nervous.
Photographer Howard Barnett said: ‘The father had only just  stood up and told his first joke when he collapsed.
‘It just happened instantly – one minute he was standing, the  next minute he fell.
‘Most of the guests thought him falling to the floor was part of the joke, so they were all laughing along.
‘You could see in the bride’s face … she went from broadly laughing to the complete opposite, shock and horror. It went from her happiest day to her saddest day. It is such a tragedy.’

Together: Family and friends including Mrs Galbraith’s brother Matthew (left) and her mother Linda (second left) were celebrating the wedding in Ilkley, West Yorkshire

Beloved father: Mrs Galbraith said she was proud her daughter saw her on her big day and has raised funds in his memory

The couple, who run an IT firm together, live in Leeds with their two-year-old daughter Annabelle.
Mrs Galbraith is now four months pregnant with her second child. Of her wedding day, last October, she said: ‘It was just devastating.
‘Obviously it would have been lovely to have had an evening do, but at the end of the day, the most important thing was my dad walked me down the aisle and saw us get married, and that we are married.’
Following the tragedy, the Galbraiths’ wedding guests joined together to raise money in Mr Bates’s memory.
A group including the newlyweds, best man and bridesmaids raised £1,800 through a fun run, and the money was used to buy a defibrillator for the hotel.
The Galbraiths do not believe the equipment would have saved Mr Bates – but hope it could help others in the future.