Fall in love Louise and Paul opted for a terracotta colour scheme for their autumnal nuptials at Elmbridge Farm Images courtesy of GingerJam Photography Louise and Paul locked eyes at a house party when they were both 21. “I already had plans that evening, so I was going to drop in at the end of my night, say happy birthday to my friend and then go home,” says Louise. “I was persuaded to stay and saw Paul from a distance. I thought he was attractive, but we didn’t speak until we ended up in a nightclub. We had a very brief conversation and I honestly didn’t think he liked me, but early the next morning, I received a message on Facebook from him. After a few weeks of talking, we had our first date at a German market in Birmingham.” Paul proposed in a small village in Somerset called Dulverton. The couple had visited two years before while they were on holiday with Paul’s family, so he knew the area. “We were away with Louise’s family at the time, so I needed to surgically engineer a day for just the two of us,” shares the groom. “We had a coffee in Dulverto before setting off on the same walk we had done before. I remember feeling mischievous that I knew, and she didn’t whilst we sat. I stopped at a wooden gate which had an impressive view. My excuse was that I needed a drink which allowed me to fumble in my rucksack for longer than I wanted to find the ring. Luckily, she was admiring the view and when she turned around, I was on one knee. My biggest worry was that the dog might somehow get involved at the most inopportune moment, but maybe he knew that he needed to give me a few minutes of peace. She asked me to propose again so she could concentrate and remember it after being in so much shock the first time around. We cried, kissed and hugged and carved our initials in the wooden gate to give us a reason to return.” Here Louise shares some of her favourite moments from their big day... REAL WEDDINGS 33
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