A love of vintage design combined with mechanical skills have made a North Yorkshire couple a wedding day dream team. Laura Symonds reports

TV presenter George Clarke has proved that small can be beautiful. In his series Amazing Spaces, he has also shown that rusty old vehicles can be transformed into stunning spaces for all sorts of uses, into family holiday haunts, beauty parlours or a travelling theatre.

Now childhood sweethearts Matt Piercy, 26, and Helen Sanderson, 22, have followed in his footsteps and transformed their 1970s Volkswagen Westfalia camper van with weddings in mind. The North Yorkshire couple’s talents have made them perfect partners in their new business, Sweet Rides Camper Hire and, thanks to Matt’s skills as a mechanic and Helen’s fascination with vintage interior design, they have created something special for the bride and groom.

“VW camper vans are part of the vintage revival that is going on right now,” says Helen. “Going on holiday in one or hiring them out for a special occasion has become a really popular thing to do.”

The VW camper scene prides itself on a “have less and do more” lifestyle, which Helen believes is a nice sentiment for a wedding. “A house on wheels makes you think of going off on a new adventure – and marriage is an adventure. It is also something old and something borrowed,” she says.

Their van is an import from California – “44 years old and this is her first time in the UK”, says Helen. “When we got it, it was in good condition for a vehicle that age, partly because the weather is so much better in California.”

After getting rid of any traces of mustiness, Helen and Matt worked most evenings for three months tidying up the interior while retaining as many of its original features as possible. Modern lighting and a new floor were added, but the original interior layout was great for storage space.

There is even a small hammock to go across the front cab. “We repainted it to its original pearl white colour to match a bride’s wedding dress,”

says Helen.

Decorating the van with flowers and ribbons is the first thing Matt and Helen will do when the van is hired out for weddings. If the event has a theme or colour, they will accommodate that too.

Meanwhile, they are offering couples another “sweet” treat, this time on a tandem. Helen has always loved cycling, sharing bikes with her four siblings when she was younger, and had been keen to own a tandem. Now she has the perfect excuse.

As well as the romantic notion of a bicycle for two, the tandem will sport a basket of flowers on the front and a “Just Married” sign on the back.

Sweet Rides also rents the tandem for engagement photoshoots.

“It’s simple and laid-back,” says Helen. “There is something quite sweet and child-like about a tandem.”

Now the couple hope to expand Sweet Rides Camper Hire with more vans and bikes.

When they haven’t been hard at work setting up their business, Helen and Matt have been enjoying driving the van through North Yorkshire and the North-East and down to Cornwall. They hope to provide the experience to couples and holidaymakers, while leaving the headache of the van’s mechanical upkeep to Matt.

“It’s fun driving a VW camper,” says Helen, “but it’s hard owning one if you’re not a qualified mechanic.”