MEET Alan the wedding planner. He may be a burly 6ft 1in ex-footballer, but he knows how to talk seating plans and flower arrangements.

And when it comes to the peal of wedding bells, Alan Lewis-Unsworth from Bolton is an expert at sparing the bride's blushes and calming the best man's nerves.

Now he has been made the North-West Wedding Planner of the Year.

Alan fell into the job by accident when he was director of conferences and banqueting at Best Western's Stirk House Hotel at Gisburn near Clitheroe.

The woman who held the role had left and, with 94 weddings booked, someone had to take over the wedding co-ordinating job quickly.

Although Alan -- a former county level footballer, Bolton Municipal Golf Club member and keen skier -- had only worked at the hotel for a few months, he stepped into the breach.

Alan said: "When I met my first couple, they just stared at me in horror.

"I don't exactly look like the sort of man you would discuss flower arrangements with. I must admit that when my wife, Denise, and I married 10 years ago, she took care of all the arrangements."

Yet Alan has found his niche.

A curriculum vitae which includes stints as food, beverage and restaurant manager at hotels in the UK -- including Bolton's Georgian House, now the Ramada Jarvis -- as well as in Cologne and Paris, enabled him to discuss colour schemes, seating plans, menus, music and table decorations in minute detail for couples planning their reception at the hotel.

For those holding their civil ceremonies at the hotel, he produces big day itineraries with military precision.

Father-of-one Alan said: "I think the brides and their mothers like my logical approach.

"They also seem to appreciate the male view on their outfits for the big day and I often find myself discussing wedding dresses.

"I also think that some bridegrooms relax more with another man around. They don't feel as silly talking about flowers and cake man-to-man and are more willing to become involved in the planning."

As proof of his worthiness for the award, Alan -- whose 2001 wedding parties have ranged in size from 16 to 400 -- has an office full of "thank you" cards and testimonials.

"On the wedding day, whether the couple are marrying here or just having their reception with us, I always wear my morning suit with tails," said Alan, a graduate in hotel and catering management.

"I greet them and their guests and hold an umbrella or parasol over the bride while she is having outside photos taken to stop her getting wet, windblown or too hot.

"I aim to make my couples feel as special as possible."

Hotel owner Malcolm Weaving said: "To look at him, Alan seems an unlikely candidate for a wedding planner.

"Fortunately, Alan took to the role like a duck to water. That is why I nominated him for this award. I can't imagine anybody being more worthy.

"The brides and their mothers especially love him. At last they have a man truly on their wavelength."