See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
Summer and Samuel met during a night out in a pub. Their relationship blossomed and in May 2021, Samuel popped the question. "I was pregnant with our first child, and we had just been to our first scan," says Summer. "Once we got home, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."
Rachael and Marc met more than a decade ago at a meet and greet with The Libertines' drummer. The two connected instantly, but they lived in different cities and sadly lost contact. However, four years later they ran into each other again by sheer chance and have never looked back. Rachael proposed outside The Royal Pavilion on 29th February, 2020 – leap year. "I was very nervous, and it was a windy, gloomy day, but the sun came out for the proposal," Rachael remembers. The two of them both love the historical building that served as such an important backdrop for them, as well as its interiors. At the time though, they weren't aware they could get married there.
Megan and Sam met at a wedding; Sam's brother Oli happened to be marrying Megan's best friend Steph he was the best man she the bridesmaid – and the rest is history! "When Sam proposed, it was a complete surprise," shares Megan. "Our relationship had progressed quickly, we took my family dog Henry on a walk to The Haycutter pub, in Broadham Green, Surrey. Walking across the field I was walking slightly ahead and turned round to find Sam down on one knee! Rachel Thornhill, who was to be our wedding photographer, was hiding in the bushes and captured the whole thing!
Richard and Catherine met at university, where they were training to become actors. The pair reconnected a few years after graduation as they had lost contact, but this time saw each other in a new light. It took a while to build up the courage to admit their feelings as they didn't want to lose their friendship if the feelings weren't reciprocated. It was no surprise to their mutual friends when they finally took that next step; it was the start of something special.
Jenna and Rob met 20 years ago when they were just 14. "We were at a social club and got chatting about a bracelet he had on that I really liked, "says Jenna. "He said I could borrow it, and I had it for two years until we met again at his cousin's 18th birthday party. As soon as I saw him, I knew straight away I wanted to be with him. I rung him several times that night asking to meet up again. Rob took me out on our first date, and almost 18 years and two children later, we're still together." Rob popped the question on Christmas Day. "He hung my engagement ring on the Christmas tree at home," shares the bride. "I took it off the tree, and our daughters asked: 'will you marry dad?', to which I, of course, said yes!"
Karen and James first met at work a few years before dating. After getting to know each other, they bonded over their love of sports and the outdoors – the rest is history! James proposed just before Christmas in 2019 at Rutland Water. Karen says, "We made our way to one of our favourite spots near the water before James got down on one knee! We had picked the engagement ring together, but the proposal was a complete surprise."
Rosie and James first met 12 years ago and were friends for years. "I allowed him to take me on a coffee date after he sent roses and chocolates to my office – how could I say no!" Rosie tells us. From then we became inseparable until James was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2019 for a four-month RAF tour." The couple became engaged when James returned to the UK in time for Rosie's birthday. "We went on holiday to Thailand to celebrate his homecoming," Rosie tells us. "We travelled to Phuket, Ko Phi Phi and Bangkok where we stayed in the tallest hotel. The suite was incredible with far-flung views across the city and just as James pointed out some fireworks in the distance, he got down on one knee!"
We met how a lot of people tend to meet nowadays, on Tinder," says Abbey. She and Andrew were both students at the time and in Abbey's words "rather socially awkward homebodies," so the internet seemed the perfect place to find love. She continues, "My favourite thing about Andrew was how easy he was to talk to. There were never any uncomfortable pauses or lulls in conversation. In fact, we haven't stopped talking for the past six years!"
Katrice and James met through her cousin. "That was back in 2013, so we've been together for 10 years now," says Katrice. "He asked me to be his girlfriend on April Fool's Day, so many people, including myself, thought he was joking but clearly not!" Seven years into their relationship, James popped the question. "We had moved in together earlier that year, and after the first lockdown, he organised a trip to Athens, Greece, which is somewhere that I've always wanted to go," shares the bride.
Beckie and Huw met at work and hit it off from the start. "Huw proposed to me during a walk that we love to do near my family home in Buckland," Beckie tells us. Beckie wanted to get married close to where she grew up. "I regularly attend the local church service throughout the year so it seemed like the natural choice to get married in," she tells us. "I wanted the reception to be in Buckland so hiring a marquee offered us that flexibility."
Dani met Alex met when he started at the same company she worked at. "It was his first day and I happened to be covering reception for the morning," says the bride. "Alex's manager left him waiting in reception for a while, so we ended up chatting – and got on from that very first meeting. "Alex popped the question four years later, under the stars at the Grand Canyon. "That's what we tell people, at least!" laughs Dani. "I'd been excited about it being an amazing stargazing location, but after we'd driven out and found a place to park, we looked upto see nothing but clouds! After 15 minutes, a small clearing revealed about six stars, which is when Alex seized the moment and proposed. I had my suspicions he might ask me during the trip, but it was a wonderful surprise at that moment."
Jules and Gary met at school, but there certainly wasn't an initial attraction! "Gary was loud, obnoxious and argued with the teachers," says Jules. "After sixth form we lost touch, not catching up until we found ourselves in the same school Facebook group nine years ago. By then I was a single parent, and Gary was married to his lovely wife. Tragically, she died of cancer a few years later, and our Facebook group rallied round to help Gary though this terrible time.
Jess and Daniel first met in college and have been together ever since. In 2018, close to Christmas, Daniel surprised Jess by proposing at Disneyland Paris. "It was a massive shock," adds Jess. "How our daughter kept it quiet, I'll never know!"
Yasmin and William met on Twitter in 2014. "We spoke for a year before William finally decided to visit me in London," says Yasmin. "We spent the most amazing weekend together. Following that, we met five more times before William decided to move to London and the rest is history," she says. A few years later William pulled out all the stops for his romantic proposal. "We'd planned an anniversary meal at The Shard and had gone up to the rooftop. There were other people around, so I had no idea what was coming," she says.
Tom and Jemma met through a mutual friend at an ice skating rink and hit it off immediately after Tom fell over. Jemma says, "The more we talked during the day, the more we wanted to see each other again. We exchanged numbers, and the rest is history!" In December 2020, Jemma and her mum went for a walk at Lulworth Cove, where they bumped into Tom's parents. Jemma comments, "I didn't think anything of it until I saw Tom waiting for me at the cliff side to propose! I was shaking and couldn't believe what was happening!"
Georgina and Sam were childhood sweethearts having met at school. "We both took business class together and everything just fell into place, "Georgina says. When the time was right, Sam proposed while the two were on holiday in Mexico. It was a total surprise for Georgina, and they spent a wonderful evening together, just the two of them, celebrating. The pair fell in love with The Old Kent Barn and its rustic yet modern feel. Georgina explains, "We knew it would be perfect for our winter wedding with a Disney twist, with the white, snowy trees and high ceilings there. We also loved the fact that everything was in one location and it even had benches rather than chairs."
Jeanette and David met at work and became a couple after sharing a kiss in the lift at a post-Christmas workparty. They started dating and welcomed their daughter, Hannah in 2012. Five years later, their son William was born. "David proposed to me on Christmas Day in 2017 during dinner and he had taken our five-year-old daughter shopping for my engagement ring!" Jeanette tells us. "It was a wonderful family proposal. "The couple chose Salcombe Yacht Club as their venue and decided on a rustic beachy theme styled with navy, gold, red and cream touches.
Olivia and Neel met at university in London, through mutual friends as well as both playing sports for the medical school. Olivia reveals, "After one particular 'sportsnite', we shared a McDonalds on the way home and ever since then we've been inseparable, sharing everything we do. What first attracted me to Neel was his very social personality and easy ability to make me laugh...he's also very handsome which may have helped!"
Angela and Mark met through a dating site. "Does anyone meet in real life anymore?" Mark laughs. After spending their first Christmas and New Year together, the couple realised their relationship was forever.Angela says, "I remember not wanting to be apart, even though we only lived 30 minutes from each other." While Mark shares, "I realised I wanted to marry Angela that New Year's Eve. Spending time together just felt wonderfully natural."
Leah and Sam met during a night out in 2012. "We were both with our friends," explains Leah. "He asked me to dance and we ended up swapping numbers. We stayed in touch and months later, he finally plucked up the courage to ask me out on a date. Two years later, he asked me to be his wife, and the proposal was a huge surprise."
Georgia and Taylor met online and planned their first date at a bar in London. They clicked right away, and it didn't take them long to realise they were meant to be together. Taylor proposed during a family holiday to Lanzarote. "We went away to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday," says Georgia. "It was really unexpected, so when he asked me to marry him by the sea with all of my family present, I was in complete shock!"
Lauren and James grew up on the same street, just two doors apart and he'd call her "the girl next door but one." Lauren remembers: "I was attracted to James the moment I saw him in his tracksuit!" Whenever she was out front James would also emerge and pretend he was doing something with his car as an excuse to see her. Likewise, she'd pop out for a sun-bathing session whenever she knew he was in the garden – "I actually don't enjoy the sun one bit," Lauren laughs. Eventually, they both plucked up the courage the speak to one another, they exchanged numbers and Facebook accounts and love blossomed from there.
From the moment Lauren and Chris met, the couple's relationship has always been effortless with plenty of fun moments and laughter. After Chris bought a ring and asked Lauren's dad for permission, he popped the question at home in front of their daughters. It was a very relaxed proposal and was a complete surprise for Lauren.
Jenni and Mike met in their local fast-food restaurant. "We exchanged numbers, and the rest is history," says Jenni. "It really was love at first sight, and that was 17 years ago! We were lying in bed when Mike asked me to be his wife. We're not traditional, so he didn't get down onone knee and we went shopping for the ring the day after."
Danielle and Adrian met at a charity soapbox race. "Adrian said that he spotted me when he went flying down the hill on his fox cart," Danielle tells us. "He decided to make a move by borrowing a friend's dog as an excuse to walk over to me. We exchanged a few words but we didn'tspeak for long. He plucked up the courage to come over to me again at the end of the day and ask me for my number. From then on, we became best friends instantly, and after a couple of dates our relationship began."
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