Paul McCartney attends George Harrison’s wedding with Patty Boyd

About

On this day, after two years of romance, George Harrison married model Patty Boyd, at the Leatherhead & Esher Register Office, in Epsom, Surrey, England. In addition to the couples’ families, Paul McCartney and Beatles manager Brian Epstein were present and acted as George’s best men. John Lennon and Ringo Starr couldn’t attend as they were on holiday out of the country.

I bought a Mary Quant pinky-red shot-silk dress, which came to just above the knee, and I wore it with creamy stockings and pointy red shoes. On top, because it was January and cold, I wore a red fox-fur coat, also by Mary Quant, that George gave me. She made George a beautiful black Mongolian lamb coat.

The ceremony took place early in the morning at Epsom register office, in Surrey, not the most glamorous place, and the room was very hot and stuffy. Brian Epstein was there and Paul McCartney, who was George’s best man. Otherwise it was family – my mother, with her cousin Penny Evans, who had been around a lot while I was growing up. Colin, Jenny, Paula, David and Boo, George’s parents and brothers. Uncle John, my mother’s twin brother, gave me away. […]

It was not the wedding I had dreamt of – I would have loved to be married in church, but Brian didn’t want a big fuss. They all trusted him so implicitly that when he said it should be a quiet register office wedding George agreed. He also said it had to be secret – if the press found out, it would be chaotic.

There was no shortage of pictures of us leaving the register office. We came out into the street to find dozens of press photographers lined up outside. So much for keeping the whole thing secret.

Pattie Boyd – From autobiography “Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me“, 2008

After the ceremony, a reception was held at George and Patty’s home in Esher.

I pity Paul, because now he’s the only unmarried Beatle left. You lot will hound him all over the place. He won’t get a moment’s peace.

George Harrison – At the press conference on January 22, 1966 – From “The Beatles: Off The Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

It was so secret that none of us attended the wedding. Paul and Jane, though, were not ready for marriage. They had quite a few personal problems to iron out. Jane confided in me enough to say that Paul wanted her to become the little woman at home with the kiddies, but Jane was not prepared to give up her flourishing career as an actress. It seemed that they had both reached a stalemate, so they carried on happily in their own way.

Cynthia Lennon – From “The Beatles: Off The Record” by Keith Badman, 2008

Last updated on October 21, 2023