An Essex Wedding - March/april 2021 (Issue 97)

BESIDE THE seaside S o many great marriages start with friendship, just like Lauren and Chris. “We can’t pinpoint the exact day we met,” Lauren laughs. “But our friendship blossomed over the course of a year, and it was on a group friends’ holiday in Portugal when we took the plunge and started our lives as a couple.” It seemed only right that Chris would take Lauren back to Portugal to pop the question. “We both love Eurovision, and we managed to get tickets to the show in Lisbon,” Lauren tells us. “He proposed the day before the contest on top of a viewing platform in Santa Justa.” More surprises were yet to come, as they continued their holiday in the Algarve. “Chris booked the same villa our relationship had started in,” Lauren says. “What’s more, all our friends were there to celebrate with us!” After a COVID-related date change, the pair tied the knot on 28 th August, 2020, at Roslin Beach Hotel. Although they couldn’t have a reception because of restrictions in place at the time, they had bundles of fun at Southend arcades with their loved ones instead. Lauren continues the story... Lauren and Chris’ micro-wedding was a real family affair Images courtesy of Pauls Studio REAL WEDDINGS 41 