See how other couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from County Wedding Magazines' Real Weddings features.
These lovebirds met at work during the Covid-19 pandemic, which meant they could only have walking dates. Amy comments, "Joe had made a picnic for us both with Pimm's in plastic water bottles on one of our first walks– how classy! I instantly knew this was the man for me."
Aimee and Sami met through a mutual friend in Brighton, East Sussex. When Aimee had gone to visit her one day and was picked up from the station, Sami was already in the car. They were introduced and Sami told Aimee she smelled good! A few days later the two began texting and that's where their story began.
Kerry and Mark met through a mutual friend, and on the first night they met went for a few drinks and a game of doubles pool. Once they got talking Kerry learned that Mark was a plumber, so when they all went back to her apartment to continue to the socialising, he fixed her sink! One week later Mark asked her for a date, and they haven't looked back since.
Jess and Laurie met through work and became good friends before becoming a couple. They became engaged on Porthilly Beach after enjoying a swim with their dog, Pugly. "It was a sunny day and when we got out of the sea, Laurie wrapped me up in a blanket, got down on one knee and popped the question," Jess tells us. "He had a bottle of champagne that we enjoyed as we watched the sun go down."
Hannah and James were both raised on their family farms which they now run. "We met when James was working in his field located next to the farm belonging to my family and his machine broke down. To save him from travelling back to his farm, he popped into ours and asked to use our workshop to repair his machine," Hannah tells us. "James mentioned that he needed a tractor driver to help on his farm, and after seeing my tractor-driving skills, he offered me the position! After many years of working for James, we realised that there was a spark between us."
Shoshi and Lucy met through work colleagues in London on a night out. Lucy tells us, "Shoshi arrived with a spare ticket to see Roger Waters play in Hyde Park that coming weekend and offered it to our group, a few of us said we wanted to go, Shoshi picked me, and we went together the following Friday. It was an amazing evening!" Romance blossomed and the pair got engaged in Edinbugh – a complete surprise for Lucy.
Charlotte and Craig met through the local Young Farmer's Club and became engaged when Craig popped the question at Charlotte's family farm. "We decided to set our wedding date for the following September," Charlotte says.
Ollie proposed to Emily in New York City, at the Edge NYC (the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere). The pair first visited the Big Apple back in 2018, their first holiday together, and the first time Ollie told Emily he loved her. Romantically, the proposal was a surprise on Emily's birthday, 28th December 2021.
Isabella and Kane met during freshers week at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and somehow managed to fall in love whilst drinking VKs and listening to Queen on repeat! Following University, the pair moved back to Kane's family home in Essex whilst looking to buy a house of their own. Kane proposed at Tonnage Bridge in the Norfolk Broads. Tonnage Bridge is a beautiful remote location with luxury camping lodges. Isabella describes, "It was so special to return to Norfolk, the place where we met and lived for three years together and start this exciting new chapter. The day after we got engaged, we returned to Norwich city centre and it felt like such a full circle moment."
Jenny and Gavin met while working for the NHS. Gavin, who was based in the IT department, was repairing a printer at the time. The two got talking and a few weeks later he asked Jenny on a date. A year after that, they moved in together.
Fran and Tommy met in the Terrace Bar in Wimbledon on New Year's Eve 2014. "Tommy's friend Mark asked if he could use our table for their drinks. Tommy got chatting to my best friend Helena and I got talking to Mark," says Fran. "Midnight struck and everyone kissed. Later Tommy approached me, we got chatting and the rest was history," she says. They went on to enjoy multiple dates and then Tommy made it official by asking Fran to be his girlfriend.
Kerry and Scott met 16 years ago. "I was attracted to Scott's sense of humour; if you ask Scott what he was attracted to, I'm pretty sure he would say my behind," laughs Kerry. "Scott proposed in October 2020 with the help of our eldest son. We were at home, and Scott got our eldest to spell out 'marry me' in wooden letters, and then they presented me with a ring."
Sophie and Graham met through her mother. "As cliché as it sounds, we fell in love at first sight," says Sophie. "Graham worked with my mother, and we met at her leaving do. We fell in love over jelly and ice cream. The day we met, I went home and told my family I was going to marry him."Graham proposed during lockdown. "We were meant to fly out to Iceland; however, the flights were cancelled as we went into lockdown that day," shares the bride. "Graham decided he couldn't wait any longer and popped the question in our living room. I cried a lot and was very surprised."
Thank goodness we swiped right!" says bride Lucy. She met Daniel on Tinder after her best friend insisted she sign up. It was actually she who swiped right for Dan as Lucy didn't think he was her type on paper. The pair met up for their first date in Shoreham in 2017 and by the July had moved in together. "We were the perfect match. He's calm, funny and thoughtful. I'm slightly less calm, but much funnier!" Lucy says.
Nicole and Sam met during a night out in Coventry in 2015. "Sam arrived with a friend of mine, and we instantly clicked," says Nicole. "I was drawn to his upbeat personality and sense of humour. Sam was always the loudest in the room; he was never afraid to laugh at himself, and he was so kind. He was drawn to my smile and my sense of humour. He's always been able to make me smile. We talked all night and laughed a lot. Eventually we swapped numbers and started as friends before becoming a couple in June 2016."
Daisey and Lee met on the school run – Lee was collecting his nephews while Daisey was picking up her kids. "Lee didn't have any children of his own, whereas I have four who were aged four, five, six and seven at the time, but this never phased him. Little did I know that he would eventually join our family," Daisey tells us.
Leanne and Alex knew of each other from a young age when Alex played cricket with Leanne's brother. It wasn't until 2018 though that Leanne received an Instagram follow request from Alex, which is when the pair started messaging and meeting up.
Matt and Sophie have a shared love of music and had been going to the same concerts for most of their adolescent years without meeting. "When we were both in our twenties a mutual friend introduced us, and we've been inseparable since!" says Sophie. "We both have lots of things in common, our love of music, craft beer and films. On our first date we both realised we had a passion for the movie Jaws!" she says. The duo had always talked about getting married, but it was on Sophie's birthday that Matt popped the question. "I'd asked for a jewellery box for my birthday that I'd had my eye on, which Matt gave me. I opened it, said thank you and moved on to the next gift to unwrap," Sophie explains. "Matt then told me to open the jewellery box and he'd placed my Tiffany's engagement ring inside with a little post it note saying 'To Do: Marry Matt?'," she says. "We celebrated by meeting our best friend in Kingston (and subsequent Best Man and Creative Director), and went to O'Neill's to drink Guinness and eat pizza!"
Ayesha and Oscar met online and it was obviously meant to be because Ayesha was the first person that Oscar matched with! "Once we met in person, it was clear very early on that we shared the same values and thoughts on family, partnership and what we were looking for," says Ayesha. "He made me laugh, and feel safe and accepted so we were drawn to each other from the start. So much so that we decided I'd move in with him at the start of the first lockdown and we haven't looked back since," she says.
Emma and Mark first met on a dating website. "We were attracted to each other's smiles and had a mutual love for food, travelling, and running," says Emma. "Mark proposed on Lytham St. Anne Beach in the middle of a rainstorm. It was a complete surprise. I was chasing around the dog we were looking after at the time, hopping over puddles on the beach in the downpour! To celebrate, we got a chippy tea."
Leanne and Jonathan met through friends on a night out. "We didn't have mobile phones at the time, so we had to message each other through MSN at first," laughs Leanne. "After 14 years together, Jonathan proposed on holiday in San Diego on a gondola at sunset. It was a surprise, as after so many years together, I didn't think it was actually going to happen."
Katie and Mark met in 2014 on Grand National Day. "I was working at Claire's Accessories, and Mark worked at the William Hill across the street," says Katie. "I went across to the bookies to put a horse bet on, and Mark started making small talk with me. A few minutes after I'd left and gone back to work, Mark came in looking for a gift for his mum's birthday. We were chatting for a while, and he eventually asked me out on a date. Mark said he thought I was beautiful the moment he saw me, and I thought he was really funny and cute."
These lovebirds first met on Instagram when Ollie messaged Beth with a cheesy pick-up line about her eyes. The pair arranged to meet at the cinema, but Ollie confessed to messing up the timings when Beth arrived. They ended up spending two unexpected hours together in McDonald's beforehand. They'd already fallen for each other after plenty of laughter and a spilt coffee. Beth says, "He made me laugh and still manages to nine years later, even when times are hard!"
These lovebirds met at work and despite knowing each other for years, they only started dating after working in the same office. Lou says, "I loved how funny and sweet Col was; he genuinely seemed interested in getting to know me." Col proposed to Lou shortly after her birthday! She says, "We'd had a lovely romantic weekend in York, but Col waited until we had got home to completely shock me by getting down on one knee and popping the question while we sat chilling on the sofa!"
Lauren and Matt met through work when they both embarked on the same graduate scheme straight out of university. "I'm from Leicester and Matt is from Liverpool so if it wasn't for the graduate scheme, we probably never would have met," Lauren says. "We were both very similar in terms of what we wanted out of life and what we enjoyed – mainly food and travel! For me, it was Matt's accent that won me over!"
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