Emmerdale’s James Moore, who plays Ryan Stocks on the ITV soap, and his new wife Sophie Edwards have shared all the details of their dream autumn wedding.

Emmerdale’s James Moore and his new wife Sophie Edwards are still basking in the joy of their magical wedding that took place just a few days ago.

The adored actor from the hit ITV soap, who plays Ryan Stocks, and his partner, a special needs teacher, exchanged vows in an enchanting ceremony at Cheltenham’s Manor by the Lake, surrounded by 100 friends and family, including fellow Emmerdale actors.

For James, who has cerebral palsy, it was a milestone he once doubted he’d reach. Sophie, deeply touched, recounted James’ poignant speech from the evening: “When James made his evening speech, he spoke about growing up with disability and how he thought he would never find love or a wife,” she said.

“That really tugged on everybody’s heartstrings because it just proves that love is there for absolutely everybody. It was one of my highlights of the day. His speech ruined me.”

Now unwinding in their Gloucester home, the couple shared their feelings on settling into married life.

James, 32, confessed, “It feels surreal,” adding that after the hustle of the wedding, they’re enjoying some quiet time, reports the Mirror.

The pair, who’ve been together for over five years since meeting on Bumble, tied the knot with laughter and love. James said: “I joked in my speech at the wedding that we don’t tell people we met on a dating app. We say we met through friends.”

Sophie added her own perspective: “I didn’t know that James was disabled until he mentioned it and I didn’t know he was on Emmerdale until he said. I had to Google ‘Ryan Stocks Emmerdale.’ But my mum is a huge Emmerdale fan and she was over the moon.”

After their engagement in Manchester, James and Sophie spent two years planning their perfect autumn wedding, ensuring every detail matched their personal style. Sophie had one particular requirement: “My non-negotiable was having a bouncy castle,” she insisted.

The theme was also important to them, “We wanted pumpkins. We knew we weren’t going to wear the traditional colours so my dress was blush and James’ suit was Dairy Milk purple.”

James shared his thoughts on sticking to traditions, “We never wanted to be particularly traditional. I mean, my suit was blooming purple. It took me months to find.”

He even went against the grain by choosing a best woman instead of a best man, his childhood friend Amy. “I’ve known Amy since we were teenagers – we were in that emo crowd that every town centre had in 2011,” he reminisced. “We met in Cheltenham and she’s always been there for me. When I was picking people to be in my groom’s party, I thought, ‘Do I need to have a best man? Because Amy is my best friend so why can’t it be her?'”

The wedding was filled with personal touches, from a Lego station for guests to create mini-figures to a donut wall inspired by the couple’s favourite show ‘The Simpsons’.

Sophie explained how they crafted a day that was unmistakably theirs with the help of family, “Decorations, flowers – we did all of that ourselves with James’ sister, mum and nieces,” Even the table centrepieces were a family creation, “The centrepieces on the tables were knitted pumpkins that James’ mum had made. She’d been knitting them for about six months.

“We hole-punched leaves with a heart hole-punch to make the confetti. We had a temporary tattoo station with tattoos of Pokemon, flowers and black cats in homage to our cat Bubba. Those little things make it so much more personal.”

Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins and Mark Charnock were among the guests who gathered at the historic manor set in the idyllic Cotswolds for the outdoor ceremony – not only was it a sight to behold, but it was also fully accessible.

“We went to some venues but due to historical preservation they tend to be inaccessible,” shared James, a wheelchair user.

Sophie voiced her thoughts on accessibility saying, “We’re in 2024 but there are some venues that just aren’t accessible. It’s nobody’s fault, it’s how some of these historic buildings were built but the manor has always been so inclusive. They made sure the ramps were down and ensured James always had a straw with his drink. They couldn’t be more helpful and again, it promotes the message that marriage can be for anybody, regardless of their ability.”

On her wedding day, after being apart from James, Sophie prepped with her maid of honour Beth and bridesmaids feeling a mix of nerves and excitement. Sporting a stunning floor-length pink gown, she discussed body positivity: “I’m more of a plus-size bride, I’m bigger than James and that’s OK. In society, it’s like, ‘If you’re bigger than your husband, then let’s not go there,’ but my friends and the staff were just so complimentary and beautiful, it made me feel so accepted and like I can be loved for my size.”

James, completely enamoured by Sophie’s appearance, shared: “You looked beautiful. Everyone was talking about how beautiful you looked.”

The wedding reached its emotional peak when Sophie, an ardent McFly admirer, entered to their hit ‘All About You’.

She reminisced: “My mum gave me away – James was crying, I was crying and I looked over at my three older brothers and they were just in pieces.”

James’ five year old nephew delivered a touching speech quoting Winnie the Pooh during the ceremony, leaving many in tears. “I prepared my speech the week before and when I started writing it, it all just came out,” James confessed.

He wanted to cover his life up to this point, Sophie, their families, and his colleagues. Despite wondering if he was going on for too long, guests were captivated by every word.

Sophie, who teaches special educational needs children, shared how much they adore James. She wished they could have heard his speech to see that marriage is for everyone.

The mood lightened on the dance floor after an emotional ceremony and reception, with James’ Emmerdale co-stars partly responsible. “They are a whole lot of fun,” James laughed, recalling their antics at award shows.

The Emmerdale crew was split over two tables due to their number.

Stars in attendance included Dominic Brunt (Paddy Kirk) and Mark Charnock (Marlon Dingle), who brought the laughs. Sophie gushed about the experience: “It felt surreal having James’ mum, my mum and Emma there – all the mums in one place. Dominic and Mark were so funny and just so energetic. Dominic bought us some Sylvanian Families as a present, which I managed to sneak on the wedding register as I’m a massive fan.”

She also spilled the beans on Lawrence Robb’s (Mackenzie Boyd) love for McFly, revealing that he was in his element when their song played.

Rachael Gill-Davis (Gail Loman) and Olivia Bromley (Dawn Fletcher) were also among the guests. However, it was Ash Palmisciano (Matty Barton) who played a pivotal role on the big day.

James shared the special bond he has with Ash: “Ash was part of my groom’s party – we came into Emmerdale at the same time. I’m disabled and playing a disabled character, he’s trans and playing a trans character so we bonded early on because of the commonalities we have,” adding, “In the last year, seeing him more outside of work, we’ve become so much closer. He’s met all my friends from Cheltenham and we’re planning when we’ll next hang out as a group. I haven’t felt like that in ages – where we have a group that all get together. I’m really happy that Ash and his girlfriend Shea are a part of that.”

James hinted at a possible on-screen wedding between his character and Gail. Speaking of his own recent break from filming for matrimonial reasons, he said: “I think it’s a possibility that Ryan and Gail get married. They’re working together, living together, they’re in a very serious relationship,”

Since joining Emmerdale in 2018, he has been embraced by the community affected by cerebral palsy, expressing gratitude for touching interactions: “Even people who come up to me and say, ‘My friend or my sister or my cousin has cerebral palsy.’ That means a lot,” he said.

Sophie has always praised his approach to life, sharing: “The thing I love most about James is his can-do attitude. He’s thoughtful, generous, incredibly handsome,” adding, “If he wants to do something, there’s no stopping him. You don’t let anything hold you back and that really inspires me.”

Following their wedding, James and his bride are looking forward to a magical honeymoon at Florida’s most iconic theme parks next year and then eventually starting a family. Sophie divulged their plans saying: “We want to go to Universal Studios, Disney, The Simpsons Park,” With an eye on the future, James interjected: “We can’t do it straight away. We’re looking at next Easter but also we want to save for a house. We want to start a family in 2026 or 2027 but we need a house first. We need the room. I’ve got too many vinyl records to fit a baby in our flat.”

However, when it comes to space in their home, Sophie admitted with a laugh that her beloved Sylvanian Families collection might need to be downsized: “I’ve got too many. They’re everywhere. What’s mine is James’ – apart from the Sylvanians.”