Your North East Wedding - March/April 2024 (Issue 61)

Whitney and Shane had a rustic-themed celebration at Redworth Hall Hotel Images courtesy of Dash Photography MY DEAREST LOVE Whitney and Shane met in a pub in Manchester. “My friend was travelling back to Greece for the summer and was hosting farewell drinks,” says Whitney. “Shane was working there as a supervisor behind the bar. I went to order a pint and Shane had told me that there was a £5 minimum spend for card payments. I was taken aback as I didn’t have cash on me, but Shane offered to put £5 through on the card and refund me the rest as cash. I took my pint, sat down at the table with my friends and couldn’t stop saying how attractive he was, as I had always loved an Irish accent. My friend Beth kept urging me to go and speak to Shane, but I was far too shy, so she went up to the bar and told him I was interested. The next thing I know, Shane is following Beth back to the table. He told me that I was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. That night, I added him on Facebook and we began chatting. We organised several dates and had to keep cancelling them until finally, in November 2018, we had our first date at a restaurant, followed by Shane getting us lost around the Christmas markets.” Shane popped the question during a trip to the Lake District. “I had no idea that it was going to happen, but all our family members and closest friends did,” shares the bride. “I surprised Shane with a night away at a hotel in the Lake District for his birthday, as he’d never been before. After a boat ride, I gave Shane his birthday present and he then told me that he had a surprise for me and that I had to close my eyes. When I opened them, there he was, with a ring in his hand, down on one knee. I was in tears as soon as I saw the box and was shaking like a leaf. He told me that he didn’t want to know what life would be like without me, especially since he had just lost his brother that year. Life is too precious and that moment is still one of the most memorable experiences of my life.” Read on to see some of Whitney’s favourite moments from their big day... 27 REAL WEDDINGS

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