See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
Jamie proposed to Sarah in Edinburgh where they were enjoying a picnic in the castle gardens. Soon after, they started to plan their big day in the Caribbean, which was something they'd both dreamed of. Still keen to celebrate with friends and family though, they discussed the possibility of booking a UK venue too for a reception. The Titanic Hotel immediately sprung to mind as this is where they met at a Christmas party. So, they went along to enquire and were shown West Bay. "The venue itself is absolutely beautiful, even without being dressed for a wedding," Sarah says. "The brick, the lighting, the size of the room..."
Kassie describes the proposal as, "out of this world!" Kassie elaborates, "When I fi rst met Rob, he said he doesn't do things by halves. He wasn't kidding. He took me to our favourite special place a hotel called Ashdown Park in West Sussex, a place we visited when we fi rst got together and where we fell in love." Having checked in, the pair went for a drink in the hotel bar. The surprises started there, as Kassie's best friends crept up behind her, revealing they were there for a belated birthday treat!
Emma met and became friends with Vic and Lee in the Philippines while travelling and arranged to meet up with them again in Melbourne at a music event. Unfortunately, or fortunately as is turned out, they couldn't make it having decided to stay on in Vietnam and instead put Emma in touch with Jack. They both did a little Facebook stalk before meeting up and decided they weren't interested romantically, but both now agree that this all changed the moment they sat down together in that bar in Melbourne. They became inseparable from that night on. "Jack made me laugh so much and had such a good energy, I just wanted to be around him all the time," Emma says.
Joe proposed to Kaite on 22nd February 2017 on her 30th birthday at the top of the Empire State Building in New York. The trip was a complete surprise and it wasn't revealed where they were going until Joe asked Katie to look up the flight number on the departures board. The couple have continued to make memories ever since. Katie and Joe became Mr and Mrs Harrison on 15th July 2023 at The Compasses at Pattiswick.Here, Katie shares some of her favourite moments from their big day...
Bethany was working as a ward nurse when one day while doing her usual 5pm drug round she found herself faced with a man looking for his younger brother who'd had surgery earlier that day. As she showed him the way, she thought to herself, "Why couldn't I have met this man when I was looking slightly more put together?" Happily for Bethany though, this man was Matthew and he hadn't been the slightest bit put off by her old nurse's uniform or lack of make-up and had felt a connection too. Later that evening, he asked her out for dinner, and she gladly accepted.
Lou and Sam met while working together at a big gym venue, but it wasn't until a year had passed that they actually spoke to each other. Once they did though, they soon discovered a common interest in music and pets, and before long set up their first pub date.
Olivia and Luke met in 2018 at work. "I was Luke's boss," says Olivia. "He convinced me that he was a qualified personal trainer, so we started going to the gym together, became best friends, and ended up falling in love."
Dan was Fay's personal trainer at her local gym, which is how the two met. They got on like the proverbial house on fire with Fay often listening to his tales of recent girlfriend trouble. The two officially started dating once the aforementioned troublesome girlfriends were off the scene and began meeting socially outside of the gym. Eventually, a few beers at a rugby match led to their first kiss!
Amy and Chris met at work and started talking after they were introduced by Amy's boss. "We became friends and the rest is history," says Amy. "We have three children between us and in 2020, they said: 'Will you marry our dad?' with my mum's engagement ring in hand. It was a complete shock and the most perfect proposal, as the kids were included. My mum sadly passed away in 2018 from cancer, so it means a lot to me that he used her ring."
Hayley and Simon were set up on a date by a mutual friend. "He was kind and loyal and we wanted the same things in life," says Hayley. "He was also very chatty and funny."
Rosie and Michael met, like most modern couples, online. "We were attracted to each other's sense of adventure and love of the outdoors," says Rosie. "Michael almost missed out though, as he cancelled our first date at short notice because he'd found a lost dog while out on the fells and, in the process of reuniting the dog with his owner, managed to get sunstroke. It was only because my mum persuaded me to give him another chance that I agreed to reschedule!"
Marguerite and Jason met eight years ago in London. "I was looking for a space to rent and Jason's house share had a room available," says Marguerite. "I was in touch with Jason's flatmate, but at the last minute he couldn't show me around, but he mentioned that his flatmate, Jason, would do it instead. It's a bit cliché to say it was love at first sight, but since the moment he opened that door, I knew I wanted to get to know him better. I even called one of my friends after the visit and said that if I don't get the room, I'll ask for his number. In the end, I didn't need it, as they offered me the room. Once I moved in, we started to chat a lot and go out as friends until six months later, when we finally admitted our feelings to each other."
When Harry met Megan online, he immediately found himself attracted to her confidence as she was the one to send the first message and had included some witty banter about his profile. The early attraction bloomed into a romance and Harry proposed in 2022.
In March 2016, Daisy arrived at a pub in Kington, Worcestershire. "I was there with another man," says Daisy. "Barnaby, the barman and waiter for the evening, caught my eye. We chatted and flirted, but then I left with the other man. After a swift 24 hours and enlisting the help of my maid-of-hour, I hunted for this mystery bar man via the pub's Facebook page, scrolling through hundreds of photos until I found him. I immediately added him on Facebook and the rest is history."
Jess and Jonny met overseas through work. He was in the military, while she was on a diplomatic posting. "I convinced myself for several months that our friendship would be purely platonic, as I didn't want to fulfil the cliche of falling for a man in uniform," Jess says. "Oh, if only I knew!" The two instantly clicked and became the very best of friends, they were in fact completely inseparable.
Natasha and Cameron met on the number 12 Arriva bus to school when they were just 12 years old. Cameron sat behind Natasha but was too scared to speak to her as she was in the year above him. He'd go home and tell his mum all about this beautiful long-haired red head from the bus though, and eventually, thanks to his mum's advice, he did pluck up the courage to sit next to her and ask her out. They remained extremely close throughout their teenage years, even living together at university.
Harriet and Bernie met at young farmers and connected over their shared sense of humour. After their relationship blossomed, Bernie proposed to Harriet on Christmas Eve at Waxham Beach. "It was a complete surprise and he had picked out a beautiful opal and diamond ring," says Harriet. "It was lovely getting to visit our friends over Christmas to share our exciting news."
Joe was in the year below Sian at school, but we formally met in their early 20s through a mutual friend named Laura and hit it off. Little did the pair know that Laura would end up as one of the bridesmaids and do a reading during their ceremony years later!During a weekend in Devon in 2020, Joe proposed in a spot called Thatchers Point on the coast. Sian says, "It was a lovely surprise! It was good that he chose to do it on the first day as I accidentally left all but one of my outfits at home, so I spent the rest of the weekend wearing Joe's clothes, which would have ruined the pictures."
These lovebirds worked at the same company for a few years before noticing each other and becoming a couple. Ross used to leave Gem tea and toast on her desk before she got to work – making tea is his love language! After being together for several years and having a daughter in 2020, the couple decided to marry. Ross suggested ring shopping one Saturday in October, and they set off to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham to shop at Hockley Jewellers. Gem says, "It was the best day! I thoroughly recommend picking your own ring ladies! I went for an emerald-cut diamond on a slim gold band. We also got our wedding rings from the same jeweller."
These lovebirds met through Tinder and never looked back! Ellie had just moved back home after living in Paris for a year and wanted to meet new people. Besides his good looks, Steve was extremely kind and proactive with arranging dates and remembered little details about her. He comments, "Ellie was great fun to be around from the start; we just made each other laugh all the time. As she had just returned from Paris and wasn't working yet, she would come and meet me during my lunch break, which I really enjoyed!"
It was the 24th of August 2017, the sun was shining, the number one song at the time was New Rules by Dua Lipa, Usain Bolt had just lost his first 100m race, West Ham had just finished a typically mediocre season, scientists had witnessed two Neutron Stars colliding for the first time and Nic found herself patiently waiting outside the station at Tottenham Court Road wondering if the stars would ever align for her.
These lovebirds were first-year flatmates when they started at the University of Lincoln and have lived together ever since! For Verity, she loved Scott's sense of humour and immediately felt a spark! Unfortunately for her, Scott had a girlfriend back home and she didn't think it was meant to be. Scott loved Verity's personality and her intellect; they shared many interests and always had something to discuss. Over time, they fell in love and started a new relationship together.
Olivia and Jamie met at work. "Jamie was my section leader and I remember thinking he was arrogant and I didn't understand why everyone else liked him!" Olivia tells us. "After a few months, we started talking and I saw a softer side of him once he started talking about Patch, his rescue dog.
Holly and James met through their young children who were at nursery together. "James would read a book out loud in the reception area while waiting to take the children into the nursery, thinking it would impress me," Holly tells us. "It made me laugh, so I guess it worked!"
Tilly and Jordan met when they were teenagers. "We got along really well and had lots in common," says Tilly. "Jordan proposed in 2017 at Centre Parcs. He bought our daughter a babygrow that said, "mummy, will you marry daddy?" It was a complete surprise and I was very shocked."
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