Megan and Simon met in their third year of university. “I was running a social for some of the students and a mutual friend introduced us,” says Megan. “Simon immediately caught my eye, and the three of us ended up getting dinner before the social started. We started out as just friends, but there was a clear connection there from the beginning; we had the same sense of humour, enjoyed the same movies, were both close with our families and loved dogs. A few months later, we had our first official date on Valentine’s Day and the rest is history.” Simon proposed in February 2022, around six years after they first started dating. “My mom had flown over from the USA, where I’m from, a few months prior and had given Simon my grandmother’s engagement ring, so I knew it was going to happen but wasn’t sure where or when,” shares the bride. “Simon initially intended to propose on a sunset walk in Llanelli while we were visiting his parents, but at the last moment his sister tagged along for the walk, so he wasn’t able to. About a month later, he brought the ring along on another walk with the intention of proposing, but when we got there, it was so muddy that we could hardly walk and were falling over, so he chose to wait again. Finally, it ended up happening at home in our living room, following a conversation about our future that was totally spontaneous. Not the most romantic location, but it didn’t matter to me; I was just happy to finally be engaged and to get to marry my best friend.” SETTING THE SCENE “We wanted a venue that had both indoor and outdoor locations for the ceremony; it was our hope to get married outside, but with the Welsh weather, we knew that we needed a good backup plan,” explains Megan. “We knew within minutes of arriving at Llechwen Hall Hotel & Restaurant that it was the venue for us; the views overlooking South Wales were absolutely stunning, and the hotel itself was really charming and cosy. The whole venue really felt like us.” To help their guests find their seats, the couple had a table plan designed by Glass Bulldog. “They did all of our stationery before and on the day,” reveals Megan. “We named our tables after Welsh cities and towns that we had visited. To decorate the tables, we chose gold candlesticks with light blue and taupe candles, glass and stoneware vases and flowers supplied by Petal Power. I wanted a simple and earthy look, brightened by the candlesticks and florals. For our flowers, I worked with Anne-Marie from Petal Power to bring our vision to life and she couldn’t have done a better job! “I wanted our cake to have a similar look and feel to my wedding dress,” adds the bride. “To add a bit of colour to the design, Waterlily Cake Design added a few brush strokes on the cake. We also had vegan cake pops on the side, also in our wedding colours.” DRESSED TO IMPRESS “My dress was a Stella York design in a champagne colour,” remembers Megan. “I had initially seen it in the window of Laura May Bridal, and as I worked nearby, I’d pass it every day. I tried on about five other dresses before trying this one on, and when I walked out in it, my mom and best 33 REAL WEDDINGS
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