WHEN Trevor Carter and Conny Kowalczyk tied the knot they were cementing bonds between more than just their two families.

The couple believe their union may be the first marriage to link Swindon and its twinned city of Salzgitter.

Trevor, 35, originally hails from Helmsdale, Haydon Wick, while Conny, 29 is from the German city.

The couple were married in Bristol on Saturday.

Trevor said: “If it hadn’t been for the twinning of the two towns we would never have met — so it does do some good.”

Salzgitter, a city located in Lower Saxony, north Germany, has been twinned with Swindon since 1975.

Conny came to Swindon in 1999 as a direct result of the link between the two towns.

She met Trevor in 2000 in The Bedroom, in Bridge Street — four weeks before she was due to return to Germany.

Conny had been working at The Foyer housing project, in Bath Road, Old Town, after Salzgitter’s council got in touch with Swindon Council to arrange a work placement.

“The first time we met we were playing table football against each other - and I won,” said Trevor.

Conny decided to return to England to study at the University of West England and the pair later moved to Bristol.

Trevor, who works in IT for the probation service, said: “It’s always a talking point amongst people.

“The first time I went to Germany they had signs saying twinned with Swindon.

“We have pictures of me next to that sign and Conny next to the signs in Swindon and there is actually a Swindon Strasse (street) in Salzgitter.”

Conny may return to Swindon in her role as project manager for the Arts & Humanties Research Council, which is moving to North Star.

To reflect the English and German union, wedding speeches were in a mixture of the two languages.

Conny also chose a VW camper van as her wedding transport.

A number of German traditions were added to the usual wedding reception, including plate smashing by the guests — the remains of which had to be cleared up by the bride and groom.