Your East Anglian Wedding - Feb/Mar 2019 (Issue 35)

A LOCAL AFFAIR Lauren and Norfolk-born Matt kept things close to home for their big day Images courtesy of Faye Amare Photography L auren and Matt met online and had their first date on Valentine’s Day 2012. They went to the cinema and Lauren immediately fell for Matt’s old-school charm. “Not only did he hold the door open for me, but the ladies behind us as well,” she remembers. “As I got to know him more it became apparent that he was a true gentleman.” Four years later Matt proposed on the anniversary of them first getting together. He organised a day of surprises, beginning with the delivery of a car key and note through the door. “The letter explained how much he loved me and wanted to make the day special,” Lauren explains. She went out to the car to discover a beautiful bunch of roses and another message from Matt, asking her to come and find him. She tracked him down to one of their favourite spots, a bridge in Old Buckenham. “We had a few games of Poohsticks and, of course, I won,” she recalls. They then went for a walk and Lauren started to get suspicious because Matt seemed nervous and then asked her to return to the bridge for one last game. “After I won, he said he had a prize for me and then dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. I cried, he cried and it took 15 minutes to even look at my beautiful vintage ring,” she reveals. Read on for Lauren’s account of their big day... Lauren McDougall married Matthew Large at All Saints Church Old Buckenham followed by a reception at the nearby country park on 18 th August, 2018. REAL WEDDINGS 41 