See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
These lovebirds met on the dancefloor at Fabric nightclub in the summer of 2018. Claire was with some girlfriends who weren't enjoying the music, unlike her, which is when Dave caught her eye. She comments, "He smiled at me, and we got chatting. We're both ravers, and we've been to many of the same events without meeting before. It was one of those serendipitous moments you never thought would happen to you. Dave gave me some of his best chats: as a teenager, he was a Team GB gymnast, and his bathroom had underfloor heating! He asked me to go for a drink with him later that week. I said 'yes' and we've been inseparable ever since.
Bethan and Sam met through mutual friends. "We messaged each other for a few months and eventually went on a date," says Bethan. "We went to Winter Wonderland in Cardiff and instantly clicked with each other. After we met, Sam went back to his local pub and met up with his friends, and when they asked how it went, his response was, 'I'm going to marry her.' We went on several dates after this; however, lockdown then happened in March and we made the decision to move in together rather than not see each other."
Rachael and Sam met through social media. "Sam had not been in New Zealand long and we instantly struck up a friendship," says Rachael. "We chatted for a few months before we finally organised a date. It was truly love at first sight. All though our connection was instant, our relationship was a slow burn, as I have two daughters who were six and ten at the time. I had to make sure Sam was a keeper before he met Ava and Amelia, but he had me at hello, and his morals, ethics and loyalty would last me a lifetime."
Beth and Alex met on a dating website. "We have both been married before and gone through difficult separations and divorces," says Beth. "Alex was incredibly charming and to this day, I still call him my Charming Mr Alex. We had a lot in common, as we both love the outdoors and enjoy walking, paddleboarding, the beach and coastal areas. Our love for life was what really shone through. We had an immediate connection and I know it may sound cheesy, but I know that we were meant to meet. He is what I had been waiting for my entire life! He treated me like an absolute lady from the start and spoilt me rotten in every way and still does. He completely swept me off my feet and the first year was a total dream come true. It is incredible to meet someone who respects you so much for who you are and who will love you unconditionally. I feel so lucky to have met Alex and to now have the family that I do with him."
Kate was wellbeing lead and Emma was head of year at the same school. During Kate's first staff briefing Emma read out a notice and as soon as she heard her voice the world stopped turning for her. "I fell in love instantly," Kate remembers. For various reasons, they couldn't be together, but instead became best friends. "I kept my feelings hidden for a couple of years," Kate remembers. "I eventually declared my love to her though, and happily she felt the same."
Kelly and Mike met via Tinder as so many couples do. "We met, fl at-shared, bought a house, had two children, then got married," Kelly says. "Probably the wrong way around, but totally perfect for us!"
These lovebirds met each other just before university while out with friends! Fast forward the start of a beautiful relationship, Gordon then proposed to Ayesha in London. He booked a room at The Shard, where they had a wonderful dinner. Following the meal, they both took a nice walk along London Bridge, where Gordon gave a speech and got down on one knee. Ayesha could hear cheers from behind her and when she turned around, her whole family was there witnessing the surprise!
Alice and Josh met during their first year of university. "We became really close friends and eventually it blossomed into something more," Alice says. We fast forward to 2022, by which point the couple had been together for nine years, and they'd gone out to celebrate this milestone anniversary in York. Unbeknownst to Alice, Josh had enlisted the help of her mum to decorate their living room with balloons and banners while they were out, and when they arrived home, the Champagne was waiting. Josh dropped to one knee and proposed with this late grandma's ring. "It was the perfect end to the night, and the rest is history," Alice says.
These lovebirds met at a music festival in Ibiza back in 2018. Yan saw Jess in the crowd before he decided to go and talk to her. "Surprisingly, after a few minutes of conversation, we felt like we'd known each other for years," comments Jess. "At this time, I was living in Paris while Yan was in London. I went back home the day after we met, but we kept the relationship alive by spending countless hours on the phone every night and visiting each other on weekends. Moving forward to the end of 2019, we moved in together in London."
P urdie and Steve met many years ago. Initially, Purdie wasn't interested in meeting anyone, but when she met Steve, she decided to give him a chance and the pair have been inseparable ever since.
Heidi and Michael first crossed paths as children at church. "I attended with my family and Michael was an altar boy along with my brother," says Heidi. "Years later, I caught Michael's eye on social media, but he did not recognise me at first. He messaged me asking why I had numerous photos with celebrities; my brother was manager at a nightclub at the time. I read the message, recognised him immediately, and shocked him with my response, 'Didn't you used to be an altar boy?' We arranged to meet and quickly became friends, which soon developed into a relationship."
Samantha and Craig met at a pub. "I was working there and Craig would regularly visit," says Samantha. "I was attracted to Craig from the moment I saw him, especially his dazzling blue eyes and his gleaming white-toothed smile. Later, I realised he also had a great sense of humour and personality. He always made me laugh; there was never a dull shift at the pub when he was there. We got chatting quite often and after a few months, we went out on our first date."
Jen and Chris met by chance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2016. "It was at the Arcadia stage while the DJ Andy C was playing," the couple tell us. "Our friends hung out and we kept in touch. When we got married, we walked up the aisle as husband and wife to the song Heartbeat Loud by Andy C which was very relevant!"
Cornish Charm
Emma and Aaron met in a local pub through a mutual friend. "Aaron was quiet while I was outgoing and making jokes all night," Emma tells us. "Aaron was too shy to ask me out so he asked his friend to invite me to spend time with them both and eventually plucked up the courage to ask me on a date - the rest is history!"
Joe proposed to Kaite on 22nd February 2017 on her 30th birthday at the top of the Empire State Building in New York. The trip was a complete surprise and it wasn't revealed where they were going until Joe asked Katie to look up the flight number on the departures board. The couple have continued to make memories ever since. Katie and Joe became Mr and Mrs Harrison on 15th July 2023 at The Compasses at Pattiswick.Here, Katie shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...
Laura and met when we were just two years old at playschool. The friends then went on to infant, junior and senior school together. Back in the days that after school you logged into MSN Messenger, the two pals would sit and type to each other. Laura tells us more, "We'd chat for hours on end until one evening, 18th December 2008, Elliott built up the courage to ask me out one final time and to his surprise I said yes - (well, I typed yes!). He considers himself a hero for doing the impossible and making it out of the friendzone! From that day on we've been the best of friends, soul mates and each other's biggest supporters."
Even though they had probably known each other beforehand, Hannah's first memory of Sean was of a (slightly worse for wear) stranger knocking on a friend's door to take a break from winding his merry way home from a wedding. He leaned against the kitchen counter and the rug slipped out from under his feet, leaving him in a heap on the floor. Hannah comments, "Our mutual friend tried to convince me to give Sean a lift the rest of his way home, but that wasn't going to happen!"
Lucy and Greg met on Tinder, "We swiped right and matched! The mutual photos of travelling the world also attracted us to each other."After a relationship beckoned, fast-forward to 2021 and Greg whisked Lucy off to Mauritius for her birthday. "He proposed two days later on a deserted beach at sunset!" adds Lucy.
These lovebirds met each other on tinder in 2015! Katie was very busy with work so told Dan that it would be a while before she could actually meet up and he was fine with that! The pair finally met on a Sunday at 2pm and didn't get home till midnight! Safe to say, they hit it off straight away. Dan planned an amazing day; they went to a rooftop bar overlooking St Paul's and then on to a restaurant for dinner.
Lydia and Ben met through mutual friends, and as Ben was in the RAF, they were only able to spend the odd weekend together in the early stages of their relationship. "We'd travel for hours just to see each other for a few days," Lydia remembers.
Jamie proposed to Sarah in Edinburgh where they were enjoying a picnic in the castle gardens. Soon after, they started to plan their big day in the Caribbean, which was something they'd both dreamed of. Still keen to celebrate with friends and family though, they discussed the possibility of booking a UK venue too for a reception. The Titanic Hotel immediately sprung to mind as this is where they met at a Christmas party. So, they went along to enquire and were shown West Bay. "The venue itself is absolutely beautiful, even without being dressed for a wedding," Sarah says. "The brick, the lighting, the size of the room..."
Kassie describes the proposal as, "out of this world!" Kassie elaborates, "When I fi rst met Rob, he said he doesn't do things by halves. He wasn't kidding. He took me to our favourite special place a hotel called Ashdown Park in West Sussex, a place we visited when we fi rst got together and where we fell in love." Having checked in, the pair went for a drink in the hotel bar. The surprises started there, as Kassie's best friends crept up behind her, revealing they were there for a belated birthday treat!
Emma met and became friends with Vic and Lee in the Philippines while travelling and arranged to meet up with them again in Melbourne at a music event. Unfortunately, or fortunately as is turned out, they couldn't make it having decided to stay on in Vietnam and instead put Emma in touch with Jack. They both did a little Facebook stalk before meeting up and decided they weren't interested romantically, but both now agree that this all changed the moment they sat down together in that bar in Melbourne. They became inseparable from that night on. "Jack made me laugh so much and had such a good energy, I just wanted to be around him all the time," Emma says.
Natasha and Cameron met on the number 12 Arriva bus to school when they were just 12 years old. Cameron sat behind Natasha but was too scared to speak to her as she was in the year above him. He'd go home and tell his mum all about this beautiful long-haired red head from the bus though, and eventually, thanks to his mum's advice, he did pluck up the courage to sit next to her and ask her out. They remained extremely close throughout their teenage years, even living together at university.
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