10 kids in 12 years; How the couple who met in a casino kept on raising the stakes.

Byline: BETH NEIL 

SUPERMUM Rachael Savory had spent the last 15 years dreaming of her wedding day - a beautiful dress, fragrant flowers and a gorgeous cake.

But every time she and fiance Jay Wong tried to set a date for the big day, the small matter of a pregnancy got in the way.

Now, an amazing 10 children later, Rachael and Jay have just managed to get round to tying the knot - with their mega-clan of six daughters and four sons acting as their parents' bridesmaids and page-boys.

And there wasn't a dry eye in the house as the bumper brood walked down the aisle to watch Mum and Dad finally say "I do".

Rachael, 35, says: "It was a really emotional day and everyone was in tears when the kids walked in. We put them in pairs - the eldest with the youngest and so on and they walked in front of me holding hands.

"It was the most perfect day. I feel complete now - like a proper family."

Before Rachael first met Jay 15 years ago, she didn't think she even wanted children of her own. That was until one night he came into the casino where she worked as a croupier and they caught each other's eye.

"He lost a lot of money that night," recalls Rachael. "He shouted at me, stormed off and then came back to ask for my number.

"I quite liked the cheekiness of that and I agreed to go out with him. We went for a meal at his dad's restaurant."

Chef Jay, 37, adds: "She was just beautiful.

She had these gorgeous lips and stunning eyes. As soon as I saw her, that was it."

Head over heels in love, they quickly moved in together and 11 months after their first date, the couple were celebrating the surprise arrival of non-identical twins Olivia and Jasmine. Jay popped the question shortly afterwards.

"The girls weren't planned and it was a huge shock to find out we were expecting twins," says Rachael, from Prescot, Liverpool.

"I didn't dare even tell my mum until I was five months gone. But we were so happy when they came along and I couldn't wait to start planning the wedding."

Rachael and Jay set the date for June 1996 but soon found life with two fast-growing babies was getting cramped in their twobedroom flat. Reluctantly, they decided it was best to plough their savings into a bigger home rather than frittering them away on a big wedding.

Rachael says: "We'd booked the venue and lost our deposit. But we really needed a bigger place so it was for the best. We could put the wedding off for a little while."

But by the time the family was settled into their new home, Rachael discovered she was pregnant again.

It meant the second planned wedding, scheduled for June 1998, was also postponed to save money for the new arrival.

Daughter Robyn came along in February, 1998 and, less than a year later in the following January, she was joined by a fourth little girl Molly. "I'm just very fertile," laughs Rachael. "I fell pregnant with Molly when Robyn was just two months old.

"We worried about how we were going to cope but by that time we'd both decided we wanted a big family. We'd manage."

Marriage plans were now firmly on the back-burner and Rachael's hopes of a wedding were dashed again when she became pregnant with fifth daughter Tyler, born in September, 2000.

By this time, the family had moved into a four-bedroom home and although family and friends asked when they were going to think about getting married, something was nagging Rachael.

"I really wanted a little boy," she says. "I was never disappointed with my girls but I'd have loved to have a son."

She may not have had her wedding day but Rachael got her wish when Kai was born in April, 2002. Which, in itself, posed another issue. "We didn't want him to be outnumbered by the girls," she says. "So we put the wedding off again to try for a baby brother for Kai."

Son Cody was born in June 2004 and was quickly followed by a third boy, Logan, in May, 2005. Eight children was enough for Rachael, who was eager to organise the wedding for June 2006, so she and Jay decided he should have a vasectomy. "But he bottled it," says Rachael. "He bottled it three times so I ended up pregnant again."

Izabella arrived in September 2006 and a few months later Jay finally went through with the snip.

Too late though... Just days before he'd gone in for the op, he had managed to hit the target again.

Two weeks after the surgery, Rachael found out she was expecting her 10th child - son Riley who was born in October 2007.

"It must be my Superman sperm," jokes Jay. "There were plenty of times when we thought enough was enough but sometimes things don't work out like that."

Finally knowing for certain that there was no chance of a pregnancy disrupting plans, Rachael set a date for her wedding. Money was tight but she and best friend Lyn managed to organise the whole day for 100 people on a budget of pounds 2,500.

She even found her dress on eBay for a bargain pounds 120 and dropped four-and-ahalf stone, slimming down from a size 20 to a 12 for the big day on June 20 this year.

Rachael says: "I've spent most of the last 15 years pregnant and have never had time to lose the weight before the next baby.

"My figure will never be what it was before I had children but I'm 10st 6lbs and feel great again."

Rachael and Jay can't afford a honeymoon but neither of them are bothered in the slightest. "I've got everything I want right here," says Rachael. "Izabella starts nursery next month so there'll only be one little person in the house during the day which will feel very strange.

"I do get broody when I see babies but I know that's it now and I can look forward to having lots of grandchildren. I just love being pregnant. Neither of us are from big families and we definitely didn't plan it this way. But we wouldn't change it for anything.

"We've got a very strict routine during term time. We're up at 7am and all the kids have their own chores. I do four loads of washing a day and Jay normally takes care of the evening meal. But they don't all like the same food so sometimes it's more like a cafe than a house. The last ones go down about 10.30pm and that's when I collapse on the sofa. We make sure we have a meal out together once a month. I think it's important to have time to ourselves."

The family, who live in a five-bedroom house and get about in a 12-seater minibus, naturally attract attention wherever they go. Jay says: "Everyone knows who we are and people say hi all the time.

"I'll never forget how amazing Rachael looked on our wedding day. When I saw her I just thought 'Oh my God'.

"We have ups and downs like all couples. But the kids are great and me and Rachael are more in love today than ever."

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Jasmine, 14 Born July, 1995

Logan, 4 Born May 2005

Riley, one Born Oct 2007

Olivia, 14 Born July 1995

Robyn, 11 Born Feb 1998

Molly, 10 Born Jan 1999

Tyler, 8 Born Sept 2000

Kai, 7 Born April 2002

Izabella, 2 Born Sept 2006

Cody, 5 Born June 2004

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KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY There is always a rush for the sofa in the Wong's household