See how other local couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from Your East Midlands Wedding Real Weddings features.
Amy and Lewis first met at a christening in 2011 and immediately hit it off. The pair were both in attendance as godparents and, despite knowing both parents for several years, they'd never crossed paths before – the rest is history! Lewis popped the question on December 12th 2017, which led the couple to exchange vows precisely four years later surrounded by loved ones.
Sophie and Will were both living in London when they first met on Tinder and happened to only be a five-minute walk from each other. After they both swiped right and had a brief chat on the app, they decided to meet up and go on a date – the rest is history!
Will proposed to Sophie while on a trip travelling through Belize and Mexico for two weeks. She says, "It was the last day of our holiday when he popped the question on the balcony at our hotel in Tulum. He'd been trying to do it the whole trip but could never find the right moment or pluck up the courage!"
Floral fantasy for Molly and Oli
Molly and Oli first met on Tinder back in 2015. After messaging back and forth, Oli planned dinner at his and the pair cooked a delicious meal together. "We ate food, listened to our favourite music, played a game and chatted until the sun came up – we couldn't believe how quickly time flew by", says Molly.
Tom and Meg first met through mutual friends and kept bumping into each other – it really was fate. After talking more often, the pair discovered a spark and from there, slowly fell in love. Originally, Tom planned to propose on holiday in Madeira. However, the flight was cancelled last minute due to bad weather and the lovebirds ending up booking Center Parcs last minute. Here Tom plucked up the courage and popped the question in their cabin.
Lauren and Darren's adventure started thousands of feet in the air on a flight to Reykjavík. The pair were both cabin crew at the time and started chatting before Lauren suggested heading for coffee when they landed. She says, "We still laugh about that moment as it's something I've never normally been brave enough to do before – I must have known we were destined to be together."
While on a stroll in The Bahamas back in 2020, Darren proposed on a beautiful beach. Lauren comments, "We've always talked about getting married, but it was a complete surprise on the day. My maid of honour, Keli-Ann, was with us at the time and acted fast to capture the whole thing on camera."
Love is all around for Sam and Michaela
Sam and Michaela first met on Plenty of Fish, a popular dating app, and set off for their first date after messaging back and forth. Michaela says, "The conversation flowed effortlessly, and I was instantly attracted to his looks, ambition and selflessness."
The pair realised they'd found the one at a three-day horse show, which Michaela was competing in. After the first two days of the event, she had fallen off twice and felt upset about her performance. But Sam inspired her to stay for the qualifying round, and she ended up winning thanks to his support. From that moment on, the pair knew they'd met their perfect match.
Best day ever for James and Katy
James and Katy met through mutual friends and it became clear that they shared a strong connection after a few dates. Katy says, "We were confident in each other's company; every conversation was so effortless and full of laughter."
It was evident from the early stages of the relationship that they had found the one. Katy comments, "We've always had a way of making natural progressions throughout our relationship, without always thoroughly speaking about them beforehand."
Once upon a time for Joe and Sophie
Joe and Sophie love story started at university, where they met through mutual friends. After a night out, the pair spent hours walking around campus together in the cold. They ended up sitting on a bench and speaking about their shared interests. Sophie says, "As cheesy as it sounds, we both knew from the start that we were a perfect match."
Joe proposed to Sophie at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, right in front of Hogwarts. The location was very appropriate as they're both huge Harry Potter fans. She says, "It was such a surprise, even though we had spoken about getting married before."
Kirsty and Ryan's love story began at a friend's New Year's Eve party back in 2010. She says, "Ryan was sat across the table from me and as cheesy as it sounds, I just knew there and then that I wanted to be with him. We instantly clicked and have rarely been apart since that first meeting." Three years later, Ryan proposed to Kirsty in front of their friends at another New Year's Eve party. He put the ring in a champagne glass, which Kirsty nearly drank, and got on one knee as midnight hit. She says, "I knew he was going to propose as we'd been ring shopping a few months earlier, but I had no idea when he would be asking and it was a huge surprise."
Joshua and Elizabeth first met on a Christian dating app where they hit it off almost immediately. Elizabeth says, "I knew Josh was the one when all ideas of what the perfect relationship should look like didn't matter anymore – I'm so happy by his side and wouldn't change anything about him." For Josh, he knew she was perfect early on in the relationship as they shared a similar sense-of-humour and interests.
After an introduction through mutual friends, it wasn't until nine years ago that Amber and Aaron really got to know each other at a local music festival. Amber says, "We were glued together all day; I loved how kind, caring and funny he was – we've been inseparable ever since." Back in June 2015, Aaron proposed during a trip away in Newcastle to celebrate Amber's birthday. She says, "I had no idea it was coming; he was nervous all day and then brought out a scrapbook with pictures from over the last few years. There was a photo on the last page of our, at the time, 10-month-old baby in a babygrow saying 'mummy – will you marry daddy?' It melted my heart and I immediately said yes!"
A day to remember for Joseph and Angela
Joseph and Angela's adventure together first started when they crossed paths at work. After three years of just being friends/colleagues, one night changed everything. During a night shift, the pair started chatting more and realised how well they got on and shared the same sense of humour. Angela says, "I think pretty early on we both knew it was special as we're very well suited. Joe always describes me as 'The Laurel to his Hardy', I love that as we're meant to be together."
