Your Hampshire and Dorset Wedding - July/August 2020 (Issue 81)

39  REAL WEDDINGS AFTER THE RAIN Summer showers failed to dampen Laura and Sam’s joyous celebration Images courtesy of Liza Edgington Photography L aura and Sam clicked from the moment they met through an online dating site in 2014. They bonded over a shared love of travel and as school teachers, they had plenty in common. Six months later they set off on a five-week adventure around America which cemented the relationship. They spent the next year working before touring Asia in the summer and went back to the States the following year. “The first time we went we stopped off in New Orleans and fell in love with the place,” says Laura. Halfway through the return trip they revisited the city and Sam proposed outside the beautiful St Louis Cathedral. Sam had hidden the ring in his luggeage and Laura didn’t suspect a thing. “My dad had given it to him before we left. It was my grandmother’s wedding ring, so it’s very special,” she adds. “He nervously carried the ring around in his pocket all day, patiently waiting for the perfect moment. Typically it rained the whole time and we went back to the hotel to get ready for the evening. As the weather cleared up, he led me to the gates of the cathedral. pretended to ask a lady to take a photo but she was actually filming him as he got down on one knee. I was shocked but ecstatic and everyone around us clapped when they saw what was happening,” recalls Laura. We then celebrated with a lovely meal and some live jazz music.” May 2018 was another milestone for the couple with the arrival of their daughter Dolly. “She was born prematurely and spent a month in the intensive care unit at Poole hospital. We realised then how strong we were together as a team and began planning our wedding for the following year.” They wanted to get married close to home during the school holidays and opted for a midweek wedding on Wednesday 14 th August, coincidently the same date Laura’s grandmother, whose ring she had, got married. Read on for Laura’s account of their big day...