McCartney Times

On most days, running into Sir Paul McCartney would likely rank among the best parts of the day. But how about a chance encounter with the former Beatle on your wedding day?

Soon-to-be newlyweds Jen Roscoe and Steve Gregg were having their wedding photos taken along Winnipeg’s Waterfront Drive on Saturday afternoon when McCartney — still in the city after a Friday night concert — rolled up on a bicycle.

“He went by on the bike … and he said, ‘Congratulations’ as he rode by, and Steve said, ‘That was Paul McCartney,'” laughed Roscoe about the experience late Sunday.

McCartney pedals up to Roscoe and Gregg after hitting a dead end on the bike path. (Submitted by MADIX Photography)

But McCartney and the two security guards riding with him were on a path that hit a dead end. So they were forced to turn around and come back to the couple, which wasn’t going to let a golden opportunity pass by again.

“As he was coming back up we said, ‘Hey man, wanna photobomb our wedding?’ And he was gracious enough to stop,” said Roscoe.

‘All everybody’s been talking about’

In all, Gregg says, the encounter lasted about 20 seconds.

“It was very brief, he shook our hands, said, ‘Congratulations,’ took a couple quick photos and then they were off,” he said.

“We said, ‘Are you enjoying Winnipeg?’ He said, ‘I am,’ and that was about it.”

The meeting was quick but the moment will last for much longer thanks to Roscoe and Gregg having a professional photographer with them to preserve it.

MADIX Photography, which took the pictures, posted the photos to their Facebook page Sunday.

Gregg says the couple’s encounter with McCartney lasted all of 20 seconds. (Submitted by MADIX Photography)

The couple, who were married at a ceremony at Fort Gibraltar later in the evening, say they’ve been bombarded with questions from curious friends and local media since the photos were posted.

“It’s all everybody’s been talking about and I’m just like, ‘We got married yesterday,'” laughed Roscoe.

While they haven’t got the photos back from the photographer yet, the couple, who say they like the Beatles but are “not Beatlemaniacs or anything like that” do plan to include a couple of the pictures with McCartney in their wedding album.

“This is was a nice thing on a day filled with wonderful events,” said Gregg.

“But certainly not the best thing that happened to me yesterday.