See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
Emily and Declan met in school when she was 14 and he was 15. "He was very funny and particularly kind," Emily tells us. "We immediately clicked, and the rest is history!" Years later Declan proposed at the Glastonbury Festival – a total surprise to Emily. The video even went viral on TikTok!
Sian and Ciaran matched on Tinder. "I was instantly attracted to his cheeky smile and gorgeously curly hair," Sian shares. "Once I'd met up with him, I discovered that I love how much he makes me laugh, even when I want to be annoyed with him at times!
Hannah and Liam met on Tinder pre-Covid. They moved in together during the pandemic, which was the perfect opportunity for them to really get to know each other! One year later, they got engaged on Christmas Day.
Emily and Metz met as teenagers back in 1997 when they were working in MacDonald's. Emily was attracted to Metz's never-give-up attitude. "He asked me out numerous times before I eventually agreed," she shares.
Kit and Jack met while working together at The Cat Inn in West Hoathly back in 2018. As they got to know each other, their relationship blossomed from there. While on holiday in Sicily four years later, enjoying dinner in a beautiful rooftop restaurant, Jack got down on one knee. "It took me a minute to realise what was going on as I had absolutely no idea he was planning to propose,"
Abi and Ryan's love story starts at The Range, where they both worked. Abi had it as a weekend job while she studied and Ryan worked there full time. After a few months of working together, Ryan plucked up the courage to ask Abi on a date. The nerves got the better of her and she responded with 'I'll let you know'. Ryan thought this was it and he'd missed his shot!
Rianna and Andrew met while working together at a dental practice. "Andrew would come into work on particular days, and I'd always look forward to seeing him as he was so smiley and made me laugh," Rianna remembers. The two realised they had much in common and after some persuasion he managed to get her to go on a date with him.
Julie and Enzo's romance can be defined as love at first sight. Julie first noticed Enzo when she saw him with his daughter on the way to a play date. She recalls, "I used every excuse to message and chat. Eventually Enzo asked me out for our first date, and it all went from strength to strength".
Harley and Matt's love story starts during Covid, when Harley was working in the local hospital, and Matt had come to sell fruit and veg to the staff who couldn't make it to the shops. Matthew had asked his uncle to get Harley's number, under the promise that he knew someone who could fix her car. The chatting started and the rest is, as they say, history!
Nadia and Matthew met 11 years ago at JD Sports, Trafford Centre, where they both worked. Nadia oversaw the junior department, and Matthew supervised the changing rooms (conveniently for this love story, the changing rooms were located next to the junior section).
Georgie and Phill met in the gym in 2018 and after months of exchanging shy looks, Georgie's best friend (and who would later be her maid-of-honour) left a note on Phill's motorbike outside the gym. He texted Georgie that evening and their first date was just three days
later. The couple had an instant connection, sharing the same family values, interests and ambitions – the perfect recipe for a happy marriage.
Our ceremony occurred in the beautiful Summer House in the gardens. We had our reception in the Tudor Barn and then danced in the Horse Barn, which is absolutely amazing! We used the Old Dairy for our guestbook area and for displaying photos of our loved ones who are no longer with us. It was a beautiful day, so our guests were lucky enough to explore the stunning gardens and make the most of the grounds.
We had the ceremony at a local church, the drinks reception in the lovely gardens at South Farm followed by the amazing meal in the Tudor Barn, coffee in the Old Dairy, and dancing in the Horse Barn with the funky light-up floor!
These lovebirds met during the pandemic. Liv thought Dan was a bit odd, but she grew to appreciate his sense of humour, confidence, and undeniable handsomeness. Their connection blossomed after they started messaging each other on social media, and they eventually met up in Sutton Park. It was not the most romantic start, but the beginning of something special – the rest is history!
These lovebirds met at work, where an instant connection sparked, resulting in plenty of laughter and shared special moments over time. Fast forward to a weekend getaway in Rome, David proposed while they were exploring with their nine-month-old son.
Hayley and Nick worked together for some time before Nick plucked up the courage to ask her out. "The attraction stemmed from being comfortable in each other's company and we became best friends," Hayley tells us. After 18 years together, Hayley told Nick that she wanted to get engaged on her 40th birthday so they went engagement ring shopping and the rest, as they say, is history!
Chris and Lianne had crossed paths years ago in Ibiza, where their mutual friends had first introduced them. Chris stayed close with Lianne's best friend, who eventually let her know that Chris had moved to London. He suggested they reach out and meet, and when they did, it was like magic – they hit it off
immediately and became inseparable from that moment on.
Danny and Laura met when Danny was working as a doorman at a local club that Laura visited. "He was standing at the bottom of the stairs as I walked down into the venue," Laura tells us. "I remember looking at him and thinking how handsome he was. I needed an excuse to speak to him,so I asked him for a lighter, even though I didn't smoke!
Tina and Spencer met through family years ago, but the timing wasn't quite right, and it wasn't until 2021 that their romance started. When they rekindled, it was an immediate connection!
Georgia and David first met in 2014, however, after a few months of dating, Georgia had to move to Iceland for her master's degree. They reconnected in 2019, and their love quickly blossomed into something special. With the impending lockdown in 2020, David moved in with Georgia so they could be together, and the rest is history!
Being best friends with Andrew's sister, Tiffany had known him for years. Butit wasn't until the time of the pandemic that they found themselves spendingmore time together and realised how similar they were and how much they hadin common. "We definitely bonded over our love of food," Tiffany says. "I wasdrawn to his kind heart, humour, strong family values and his amazing smile. Hetells me he was attracted to my fun and energetic personality, my natural beautyand my incredible culinary skills!"
Hayley and Craig's story began 21 years ago when they crossed paths as holiday reps in Majorca. They got engaged and were all set to tie the knot in 2006, but they were both a bit too young and didn't fully appreciate what they had, leading them to part ways. However, fate had other plans, and their paths intertwined once again a few years ago, rekindling their love.
Ceri and Gareth have worked at Rowton Castle for many years and met within the extraordinary setting in 2007. Fast forward time, they've been together for more than 10 years. Gareth proposed on the 19th of September 2022 at an altitude of 3,842 metres. They had just stepped into the Aiguille du Midi Skywalk (the glass room at Mont Blanc) when Gareth got down on one knee. Ceri recalls that it was quite possibly the best distraction from the terrifying height they were at. The proposal had been nearly a year in the planning, with their entire holiday to Lake Annecy revolving around this day trip to Chamonix. Ceri had no idea and was shocked!
These lovebirds met at a vocational university focused on backstage theatre, where they essentially worked for free. Jess was a Scenic Artist, and Jay took on the role of Stage Manager, which often meant that Jay would tell Jess what to do, and Jess would playfully ignore the instructions. Their connection blossomed through mutual friends, who would end up being their bridesmaids six years later. Fast forward time, the pair had a heartfelt conversation about how they felt about each other and their dreams for the future, which led to Jay catching a bus to the nearest Pandora store to purchase some rings. Meanwhile, Jess found herself in a bit of a panic while Jay was gone. By the time Jay returned, it was dinner time, and Jess whipped up some ham sandwiches. They shared a cup of tea, and then, in the cosy kitchen of their student digs, Jay proposed. In a sweet twist, Jess accepted with the ring and proposed back. Just thirty minutes later, they attended a university event and excitedly shared the news with everyone
In true modern style, Emma and Becky met on social media platform TikTok. "At the time, we weren't looking for a relationship but got chatting after Becky commented on my video (which is something she normally wouldn't do)," recalls Emma. "We exchanged numbers and spoke every day. We realised how much we had in common and knew we had something special. We fi rst met in Norwich and went for a meal and some drinks. As soon as we saw each other the attraction was there, and we just hit it off!"
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