A LUCKY South Tyneside couple are snap happy after extending their winning streak.
Last April, Stuart Guthrie and fiancée Karen Kerrison won £125,000 on Channel 4’s game show Million Pound Drop, which is hosted by Davina McCall.
The couple, both 27, used the cash to set up The Guest Booth – a portable and instant photographic service for weddings and parties.
Now, less than a year on, their business has scooped the best Exhibitor Award 2013 at the recent Wedding Wonder Show held at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light.
Mr Guthrie, from Monkton Village, Jarrow, said: “It’s been quite a year, we can’t believe it’s gone so fast. After we won the cash on the show, people were saying to us that we could retire.
“We thought that would be madness. What on Earth would we do in a few years’ time when it had ran out? It wouldn’t last forever.”
The couple, who are tying the knot themselves in July, decided to set up their venture after carrying out research into the market.
They bought their booth and added a few extra touches, including changing LED lights, and both internal and external picture screens.
Meanwhile Mr Guthrie has carried on working as a national account manager for Britvic and Miss Kerrison as a customer service manager for rail firm East Coast.
Mr Guthrie said: “We only ever wanted to run The Guest Booth on the side, as a little bit of fun. That’s what we’ve been doing and so far, it’s working really well.
“We even have weddings booked in for 2015. It takes us about 20 minutes to set the booth up. We stay at the event for three or four hours and everyone has a great time.”
Despite the business booming, their accolade still came as quite a surprise.
Mr Guthrie added: “We never expected to win. The organiser came past and then said she had something for us.
“As couples left the show they had to fill out a questionnaire, and we received the most votes, so that’s really nice to know that people thought our exhibit was the best.”
Anyone who wants more information on The Guest Booth can visit www.theguestbooth.co.uk
Twitter: @shieldsgazvez
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