Wedding first, graduation second. For Charnele Washbourne, known as Nele, Monday in Liverpool brought both within hours.
The 33-year-old from Bournemouth married her partner of 10 years, Bradley Natt, at Liverpool Town Hall at 1:00 p.m., then crossed the city in her wedding dress, cap and gown to graduate from Liverpool John Moores University at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.
Nele said it was a “wild and unlikely coincidence” that the two ceremonies ended up on the same day.
“It’s crazy the two ended up within three hours of each other but if felt right that they both happen on the same date, and it just makes the day even more memorable,” she said.
The History of Art & Museum Studies graduate said the couple decided to marry this year, after a seven-year engagement, “to celebrate all of our big life events”.
“It’s been a turbulent few years for me and my family, so we wanted to celebrate our achievements in a big way,” she said.
Nele said Bradley had been fully on board with the plan.
“Brad is incredibly supportive and has been ever since I decided to go to university as a mature student.
“He loves that we get to celebrate all of life events and achievements, which makes our day even more memorable and special.”
After the graduation ceremony, the newlyweds went to a reception at the Botanical Garden in Liverpool with their loved ones. Everyone from Nele’s course was invited to join the celebration and mark their own achievements too.
Nele is currently working at LJMU’s exhibition research lab and said she will be on the look out for other roles in Liverpool relevant to her studies. She previously did an internship at the Guggenheim in Venice, as well as working with several art programmes around Liverpool during her studies.
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