See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
These lovebirds first met on Instagram when Ollie messaged Beth with a cheesy pick-up line about her eyes. The pair arranged to meet at the cinema, but Ollie confessed to messing up the timings when Beth arrived. They ended up spending two unexpected hours together in McDonald's beforehand. They'd already fallen for each other after plenty of laughter and a spilt coffee. Beth says, "He made me laugh and still manages to nine years later, even when times are hard!"
These lovebirds met at work and despite knowing each other for years, they only started dating after working in the same office. Lou says, "I loved how funny and sweet Col was; he genuinely seemed interested in getting to know me." Col proposed to Lou shortly after her birthday! She says, "We'd had a lovely romantic weekend in York, but Col waited until we had got home to completely shock me by getting down on one knee and popping the question while we sat chilling on the sofa!"
Hannah and Tom have been together since they were teenagers. Tom would try to catch Hannah's attention in the corridor between lessons, but she was completely oblivious! Eventually, it was Hannah who decided to add him as a friend on Bebo, as she knew of him at least. He accepted and they spent the next few months messaging each other before deciding to make it official, even though they hadn't met #IRL yet.
Anna met Mat in her home town of Minehead in 2014, while he was in town for a stag do at Butlins. She was sitting outside a local pub when Mat and his mates walked in. Anna's friend caught their eye and they went over to join her table. Anna and Mat hit if off that night and kept in touch after he'd returned home.
Elise and Jonny met at school when Jonny joined Elise's sixth form. "We had mutual friends and Jonny invited me to go on a cinema date on Valentine's Day," Elise tells us. "He turned up with a dozen roses and after the movie, he invited himself into my parent's house and made them a cup of tea! I loved his confidence and humour!"
Lauren and Jono met via the dating app Hinge. "I remember that one of Jono's photos was him drinking rose wine in the sunshine," Lauren says. "He seemed nice and when we met, I loved his bright blue eyes. He was interesting and easy to talk to - I was so happy when he texted me to ask me out on a second date!" Jono adds, "Our first date was at Gordon's Wine Bar in London and I thought Lauren seemed witty and cute. I had to leave the date early because work was so busy at the time so I asked her for a second date, and she accepted - a miracle!"
Jacqui and Jeremy live in Dubai and work in the same office. "I was attracted to Jacqui's caring nature and her energy," Jeremy tells us. Jacqui adds, "I loved how patient he was." Jeremy proposed on Jacqui's birthday in 2022 which was a complete surprise. "One month earlier, I had been looking for rings and was thrilled when I found the perfect one, which prompted me to propose," Jeremy says.
Michelle and Paul found each other online and met up in Bath for their first date. It was intended to be coffee, but it soon turned into a small walking tour of the city followed by dinner. "From the outset, I liked Paul's positive demeanour and confidence," Michelle says.
Charlotte and Andrew first met while working in Austria during the ski season. They fell in love with the mountains and, of course, with each other while creating the most amazing memories. Andrew proposed at the pair's favourite waterfall in Scotland called The Hermitage. He was taking photos using a tripod and managed to capture the moment he popped the question.The lovebirds set the wedding for July 2022 and created a fun day surrounded by loved ones.
Carina and Matt met on a night out in Manchester when they were both at university and have been a couple for ten years. "It was our friend, Chris' 21st birthday when we met so naturally he was one of the ushers at our wedding!" they tell us. Matt proposed during a trip that he planned as a surprise for Carina's 28th birthday. "It was exactly 51 weeks before our wedding then took place," Carina says. "There was a cabin by a lake with a hot tub and champagne where we were staying. Matt had called our parents the week before to tell them and ask for their blessing so the proposal was a wonderful surprise and perfect in every way." Carina and Matt wanted to get married in Devon where Carina is from so here she tells us all about their magical day at Harefield Barn in Crediton.
Both working at Norfolk Museums Service, romance blossomed amongst the paintings, taxidermy and archaeological artefacts of their surroundings. David proposed to Alison on a remote beach in North Wales whilst on holiday. The fantastical village of Portmeirion formed the backdrop to the proposal on the deserted beach. Looking back – all the holiday pictures before the proposal David had one hand in his pocket– clutching the precious emerald and diamond engagement ring, just waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question. It was a surprise to Alison – although, being a traditionalist David did of course seek permission to marry Alison from her parents first.
Louise and Heather met at work in 2014, and soon became friends. Before long, Louise found herself attracted to Heather thanks to her quirky fashion sense, brilliant sense of humour and fierce sense of loyalty. Heather in turn found herself attracted not only to Louise's personality, but also her "randomness!" Heather proposed on Christmas Day, while still in their pyjamas opening their presents. She'd prepared a box for Louise containing notes telling the story of their journey together as a couple, which ended with Heather asking Louise to marry her. There was a beautiful ring in the box too! Louise was so shocked that Christmas lunch was late.
Summer and Samuel met during a night out in a pub. Their relationship blossomed and in May 2021, Samuel popped the question. "I was pregnant with our first child, and we had just been to our first scan," says Summer. "Once we got home, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."
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