George Harrison Jokingly Stepped Forward as the Groom at Cynthia and John Lennon’s Wedding
George Harrison was the youngest member of the Beatles. This guitar player even made a joke at Cynthia and John Lennon’s wedding. Here’s what Cynthia Lennon said about the songwriter in her 2005 memoir John.
Cynthia Lennon described her first impression of The Beatles’ George Harrison
While rehearsing with Harrison and McCartney, John Lennon began his relationship with his college classmate, Cynthia Lennon (then Cynthia Powell). Cynthia Lennon later recalled her first impression of Harrison, who was 16 years old, in her 2005 memoir John.
“George was the kid who tagged along,” Cynthia Lennon wrote. “He was always serious, and his shy, toothy grin only ever flickered for a moment before it disappeared. He was quiet and seemed troubled as he trailed behind John and Paul, deferring to them even though he was a fantastic guitar player.”
After an unexpected pregnancy, John and Cynthia Lennon married on Aug. 23, 1962. The conditions weren’t ideal, especially because Cynthia Lennon’s best friend was away and could not appear as her bridesmaid.
Cynthia Lennon mentioned George Harrison’s joke at her wedding
Cynthia and John Lennon made their wedding official at the Mount Pleasant register office in Liverpool — the same place John Lennon’s parents married. As noted in her 2005 memoir, it wasn’t a picture-perfect day, primarily due to the rainy weather.
In the building opposite, there were noticeable construction noises. Despite the disturbances, the ceremony continued as planned.
“There was another comic moment when the registrar asked the groom to step forward and George did so,” Cynthia Lennon wrote. “But the registrar saw nothing funny in either the drilling or Goerge’s joke, so we all struggled to keep our faces straight.”
After the ceremony ended, the couple (as well as Harrison, McCartney, and their manager) went out to eat. John and Cynthia Lennon remained good-natured about the occurrence.
“We all burst out laughing, overwhelmed by relief that it was over,” she continued. A few months later, the couple had their first child — Julian Lennon. She was also there when the Beatles recorded their first single “Love Me Do.”
John Lennon married Yoko Ono, even writing ‘The Ballad of John and Yoko’
John and Cynthia Lennon remained married for several years. However, the two separated in 1968 after Lennon met artist and activist Yoko Ono. Just months after his divorce from Cynthia, John Lennon remarried on March 20, 1969.
The two appeared in their infamous “bed-in” for peace together, hosting journalists and photographers in their hotel rooms. John Lennon created protest songs with Yoko Ono, releasing “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” and “Give Peace a Chance.” Now, music by the Beatles is available on most major streaming platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music.
