See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
Christina and Aaron met at a mutual friend's fancy dress birthday party. "We were coincidentally wearing pretty much the same outfi t!" Christina tells us.
Chris worked as a Project Manager on commercial construction projects in central London. At the same time, Becky was and continues to be an interior designer specialising in workplace environments when they first crossed paths. Their initial meeting occurred during an interview that Becky held, and she was truly impressed by their work. That connection blossomed into a lasting relationship - the rest is history!
Amina and Corey met during freshers week in September 2013 at the University of Nottingham. "We both attended a party with an army theme, and there was an immediate mutual attraction and connection between us – despite the camoufl age!" Amina tells us.
Nicole and Arron met via an online dating website during the lockdown and realised they shared mutual friends. "We quickly became friends and then fell in love," they tell us. "We share a quirky sense of humour, a thirst for adventure and we are both spontaneous with very similar personalities."
Amy and Alex met at work. "I think looks were the initial attraction, and I loved how good Alex was with his son," says Amy. "Alex proposed while we were skiing in Les Gets, France, in April 2022. We were at a friend's charity event, and by pure coincidence, I actually won the raffl e and had to go on the stage. As I looked around, Alex was coming towards me and getting down on one knee. This was really out of character, as Alex is really shy and doesn't like attention. He had gotten the DJ to play my favourite song. It was so lovely to be there with most of his family watching. I then rang all my family and friends back in the UK in hysterical tears, showing off my beautiful ring!"
Hayley and Ed met while they were both working at an insurance company 10 years ago. "We reconnected several years later and have been inseparable since," says Ed. "We share the same values, a laid-back approach to life and a love of animals." "I proposed to Hayley at Macquaries Point in Sydney, Australia, which has a beautiful view overlooking Sydney Harbour and the Opera House," shares the groom. "Hayley lived in Australia for a few years and I knew it would be special to do it in a place that she holds dear. I asked her to pose for a photo against the backdrop and then dropped to one knee. Based on her shocked reaction and happy tears, I would say it was a big surprise." The couple sh
Samantha and Joseph fi rst met while out with friends when they were 14 years old. "We didn't say hello to each other, but that evening Joseph added me on Facebook and we spoke for four days before Joseph asked me out," says Samantha. "I found Joseph to be very handsome and talking to him felt so easy and he always made me laugh."
Sam, who hailed from Canada, had come to London expecting a two-year adventure before returning home. As her trip neared its end, she packed her bags and was ready to return when her job surprised her with an exciting offer and sponsorship. This was fantastic news, but she also needed to fi nd a new place to live quickly since she had already given up her fl at. She turned to the London fl atshare app, Spareroom, searching for a spot in East London—unbeknownst to her, just down the street from her future wedding venue. There, she discovered the ideal room listed by a charming stranger named Jack, who was planning to move back home to save some money. Sam was instantly drawn to the room, and Jack graciously showed her around. After putting down her deposit, Jack invited her over that weekend to meet the other fl atmates.
Corrine and Matt met at university when they moved into the same f latshare. They'd make excuses to hang out with each other and their f latmates would often find them in the kitchen making numerous cups of tea! "I was attracted to Matt's blue eyes and his sense of humour," Corinne shares. Matt meanwhile had an instant crush on Corinne but was too shy to ask her out, so Corinne eventually stepped up and did the asking.
Alexandra's mum played matchmaker to get Kris and Anlexandra together. The pair soon hit it off and before they knew it they knew they were inseparable. Kris proposed and the rest is history.
Mark proposed on his birthday at 'One Tree Hill' in Stanford-le-hope – the place the couple had shared one of their fi rst dates. Following this, Emily had organised a surprise birthday party for Mark but little did she know that Mark knew about the surprise and added a surprise of his own! What Emily thought was just going to be a birthday party turned into an engagement party when they returned from the proposal. All the family were there for the double celebration!
George and Daniel met each other right before lockdown, as George explains, "It wasn't the best time to fall in love but we managed to get through it together by speaking every day, from WhatsApp messages to FaceTime. It meant that we really got to know each other and on a really deep level that - without Covid - may not have happened." George and Daniel bonded over a love of BBC Radio 2, Disney and playing lots of Animal Crossing together on the Switch! The pair finally got to see each other more 'in real life' towards the end of the summer 2020, and f inally managed to put the world to rights by moving in with each other in 2021!
Having met when they were just 11 years old, Chloe and Brandon were high school sweethearts, navigating the craziness of their school years side-by-side. After a school trip to Paris they became besotted with each other, realising they were more than just friends and got together at the age of 15. "Laughter was defi nitely our bond, sharing a sense of humour throughout the years and building from our foundation of friendship," Chloe shares.
Chris proposed to Alexandra at Charingworth Manor in the Cotswolds just before sunset in the September of 2020. "We'd gone away to celebrate Chris' birthday and he surprised me by proposing with a speech about our time together on a hillside with a glorious view of the countryside," Alexandra remembers. The couple had met as students while studying at the University of Manchester.
These lovebirds first met at a computer programming meetup in London in 2016, thanks to a mutual friend. Being ex-astrophysicists, they hit it off right away. Despite living in different cities, they managed to spend more time together when Stew moved to London for a data science internship program. It took a while, but they eventually realised their feelings for each other after several visits between London and Hampshire.
These lovebirds fi rst crossed paths as teenagers in school, sharing a desk in their English class. They quickly realised they had many common interests, particularly their mutual love for metal/punk music, and immediately hit it off.
These lovebirds first met at a friend's garden party, where George asked Jhanvi's friend for her Snapchat, and they started talking from there. Jhanvi comments, "I was drawn to George right away because I felt so at ease around him; he had a great sense of humour and didn't take himself too seriously, which I valued in a partner. We just clicked; he always made me laugh, and we had such great banter. George found me attractive from the start, especially my eyes and hair. As we got to know each other, he realised we had much in common regarding what we wanted in life. Even though we have different personalities, I'm more outgoing while he's more introverted, we both feel like we balance each other out and bring out the best in each other."
These lovebirds fi rst crossed paths through mutual friends and eventually, Josie found herself working for Tristan a few years later. Their bond grew over their shared love for beer and movies, plus their passion for good food brought them closer over time – the rest is history! Tristan surprised Josie with a romantic weekend getaway to Dublin, followed by a heartfelt proposal. Since they had already discussed marriage, it wasn't entirely unexpected for Josie. She recalls, "We had just purchased our fi rst home together, so everything was happening simultaneously. Tristan had planned to propose in one of the gardens in Dublin after our dinner, but unfortunately, it was closed for the evening when we passed by. Instead, he suggested we walk back to the hotel. He intended to pop the question during the walk but accidentally stumbled off a curb and twisted his ankle! We eventually returned to the hotel and luckily, our room had a stunning view. That's when he asked me to marry him. Looking back now, it's defi nitely a funny story!"
These lovebirds fi rst crossed paths at Alton Towers in 2012. It all started on the staff bus when John threw cereal at Amber, hoping to make her laugh. Unfortunately, it didn't have the desired effect and annoyed her instead. Despite this rocky start, John decided to take a chance and asked Amber out for an evening. Little did they know, this would begin a beautiful journey together! Fast forward to a special moment at their favourite theme park, Europa Park in Germany, John chose this magical setting to propose to Amber. He kept it a secret with the help of his future best man, James, who cleverly disguised their plans by telling Amber they were meeting a press and marketing lady before the Ice Show. In reality, they were fi nalising the details with the team who would assist with the proposal.
These lovebirds first encounted each other in a Wetherspoons, sporting their pajamas during the yearly medical school pub crawl back in 2013. Emily surprised Gareth by being punctual for once and since there weren't many others around, they immediately initiated a conversation. However, it wasn't until they relocated to Shrewsbury in 2016 that they began dating; the rest is history!
Joe proposed to Mary at Disneyland Paris with their daughter, Ava, asleep in her pram. They'd known each other since childhood, having met at infant school. With their hearts set on a rustic barn wedding they set out on their venue search and fell in love with the beautiful Cissbury Barns in Findon, West Sussex. "We knew we wanted a beautiful, barn that was all enclosed for guests to mingle, especially for a running toddler!" Mary explains.
Chloe and Lewis met at Lewis' workplace. Chloe was friends with his boss' sister so they'd go and visit the workshop together. The future couple got on well together straight away with plenty of banter and they became friends. "Everyone wanted to set us up and egged us on to go on a date," Chloe says. "Once we did, the rest was history." Indeed, the first date went so well, Lewis tells us, "Afterwards, I knew I was going to marry her."
Catherine and Lizzie met at work in 2018. "We became good friends, eventually moving in together as part of a house share in 2019," they tell us. "We grew closer and on New Year's Eve, Lizzie shared how she felt and was delighted that my feelings were reciprocated," Catherine says. "Being friends fi rst meant we already knew so much about each other. We loved being together and shared many interests like cooking shows, video games and music."
Dominique and Andrew met through an online dating website in 2019. "We went on holiday together and then when the lockdown happened, I temporarily moved in with Dominique so we did not have to isolate separately – the rest is history!" Andrew tells us. Andrew proposed in the gardens of East Hampstead Park Estate during a weekend away in November 2021 and the couple married the following year.
Prianka and Neel met through a mutual friend at university. "Neel proposed by booking Prianka a surprise day off work through one of her colleagues. "I was getting ready for work when he presented me with packed bags," she tells us. "I thought we were going abroad but we stayed at The Shard in London before taking a short trip to Madrid."
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