EXCLUSIVE Dream wedding between Army Officer and teacher ends in chaos as police arrest guest, 28, after brawl erupted at the reception

• Capt. Connor Lister and Hayley Howard were married at the rural Tawny Hotel 
• The celebration took months of planning and apparently cost over £20,000 
• It suddenly kicked off after midnight when guests were starting to leave
• One guest allegedly became enraged by the behaviour of another guest
• The man was later arrested by Staffordshire Police on suspicion of affray

A dream wedding between a dashing Army Officer and his glamorous teacher bride ended in chaos when a brawl erupted at the reception – and police were called in the early hours to arrest a guest.

Captain Connor Lister tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, teacher Hayley Howard, at a beautiful country hotel setting in rural Staffordshire.

Capt. Lister, who is attached to Third Battalion Ranger Regiment from the 1st Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, wore regimental uniform including a sword and medals for his marriage to a delighted Hayley.

It was a carefully choreographed day which took months of planning. 

Pictured: Captain Connor Lister and Hayley Howard, both 28, tied the knot at the Tawny Hotel in rural Staffordshire

Pictured: The newlyweds Hayley and Connor under the sabre arch which was performed by the Captain’s army colleagues 

Afterwards the service army colleagues, also in uniform, formed a sabre arch with their swords for the newlywed couple, both 28, to walk under while civilian guests threw confetti.

Guests then repaired to the lavish Tawny Hotel for a celebration believed to have cost over £20,000.

But as the evening wore on, one male guest is understood to have become enraged by the behaviour of one of his fellow guests which would lead to him being arrested.

A source said: ‘It had been a beautiful day and a wonderful party with no expense spared. But it all suddenly kicked off at the end of the evening, after midnight, when people were starting to leave.

‘One of the female guests had got upset about something and was noticeably crying.

Hayley, who is a geography teacher and daughter of a famous Rock photographer, pictured on holiday holding a cocktail 

‘This guy started to get angry apparently thinking that she was spoiling the atmosphere on Connor and Hayley’s big day – and he was quite rude and forceful with her about it.

‘Then her boyfriend took offence at the way this bloke was talking to her – and told him to stop. At which point the guy turned on him and started punching him.

‘It flared up very quickly but then lots of people intervened, trying to stop it.

‘Then everyone spilled outside and there was some more commotion in the area outside the hotel.

‘I’m not sure who called the police but suddenly cops in uniform turned up and after asking various guests what had happened. And then the guy who’d kicked off was taken away in a squad car. They nicked him.

Pictured: Hayley and Connor dressed up for a black-tie event

Pictured: The Tawny Hotel in rural Staffordshire – a ‘very beautiful’ and ‘upmarket hotel’

‘I’m not sure what Hayley was doing at this point, but she had looked so beautiful in her wedding dress, it was a shame to tarnish her day with such mad behaviour.’

The source added: ‘The Tawny is an extremely upmarket venue and I’m sure they are not used to people brawling like this at their functions. I’m not sure who he was or why he was so cross but he really lost his head.’

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: ‘A 28-year-old man, from Wiltshire, was arrested on suspicion of affray at a property in Consall, Staffordshire, on October 2023. He was given a community resolution.’

A source at the hotel said: ‘Everyone here was talking about the wedding party fight for weeks after – we were quite shocked by it.

Captain Lister’s father, who himself was in the forces for 25 years, said there had been ‘an altercation’ at the reception but said that it wasn’t connected to the couple

‘The Tawny is a very beautiful and upmarket hotel and we’ve never seen anything like it here before. Police were called which is unheard of.

‘It is a beautiful hotel and we hold hundreds of weddings a year – without something like this happening.’

Captain Lister was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, while his parents Ian and Diane now live in nearby Warminster, though he more recently lived in Berkshire with his new bride. It’s unclear where he and Hayley have set up home since marrying.

Hayley is a geography teacher and daughter of dad Ian Howard and mum Erica Echenberg Howard, who was a famous rock photographer in the seventies and eighties taking pictures of everyone from Queen to Shane MacGowan.

Captain Lister’s father, who himself was in the forces for 25 years, said there had been ‘an altercation’ at the reception but said that it wasn’t connected to the couple and declined to discuss further.

Hayley’s parents declined to comment.

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