See how other local couples celebrated their big day with wedding stories and ideas from Your West Midlands Wedding 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."
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."
Abby and Connor met while working in the same restaurant. "He asked me how to cut an avocado," laughs Abby. "I helped him make guacamole and we laughed and haven't stopped since! It was a really easy and natural connection, and we got on so well straight away. Connor proposed in our first home that we bought together when we were 18. He rang me while I was on the way home from work, and I could tell he was excited about something. He scattered rose petals up two flights of stairs, and on each step was a sticky note that said something he loved about me written on it, I followed the stairs to the top, opened the door and he was down on one knee with my dream ring."
Jessica and Hayden met at university. "Even though we are both from the Telford area, we actually met whilst at Leeds university," says Jessica. "I was working in a nightclub when Hayden came in for a night out and a colleague of mine introduced us. We got talking and hit it off right away. After we fi nished university, we moved home together and are best friends, we get on really well and are always laughing and being silly."
Kathryn and Mike met online in 2015. "Mike was genuine and kind, and he liked that I was intelligent and funny," says Kathryn. "He proposed on Christmas morning in 2019. We were at home and had come downstairs to open presents with our daughter. They both disappeared upstairs and came downstairs with a small wrapped gift. I opened it and saw a sparkling diamond ring! Mike said: 'well, will you?' and I told him: 'only if you get down on one knee.' He did, and I said yes. Our daughter was ecstatic!
A dreamy day for Catherine and Chris
Catherine and Chris met at school. "Chris is a year older, so we didn't know each other, but we got talking on MSN and MySpace," says Catherine. "We hit it off straight away due to our shared sense of humour and love of watching movies."
Chris popped the question during a holiday to Somerset. "We had always talked about getting married, and although we weren't officially engaged, we had discussed 2022 as a potential date," shares the bride. "I was at university until 2021, so we always talked about getting engaged after that. I was surprised when he popped the question during a holiday in 2020. We booked the trip for my birthday and spent the week in a lodge near the town of Wells. We went for a walk to Ebbor Gorge, and overlooking the beautiful scenery, Chris got down on one knee!"
Grace and Ben met at a birthday party. "I'd just returned from Las Vegas, and Ben was travelling there in a few months, so we were chatting about things to do and places to go for the majority of the barbecue," says Grace. "After the party, I added Ben on Facebook. After several attempts and last-minute cancellations, we finally went on our first date 18 months later. The thing that attracted me to Ben was his sense of humour. I left the date with my jaw aching from how much I'd smiled and laughed the entire evening."
Alexandra and Darryl: The one for me
Alexandra and Darryl met when they were children. "I was friends with his sister," says Alexandra. "We then met later at a mutual friend's engagement party. We share a love of Formula 1 and have lots of mutual interests."
Darryl popped the question on Christmas Day. "He wrote it on a card and woke me up early as he was so impatient," shares the bride. "He thoughtfully sought the permission of my dad before proposing, and it was wonderful being able to share the day with family. It was definitely a surprise, and I didn't even believe him when I read it!"
Carly and Vlad met like most modern couples online. "We went for drinks and didn't want the date to end," says Carly. "I think we ended up drinking seven glasses of Diet Coke each! I loved how kind he was, that we wanted the same things in life, how handsome he was and that we both liked travelling."
Vlad popped the question during a trip to Disneyland Paris. "I'm a big Disney fan, so we decided to go for my birthday," shares the bride.
One fine day for Jade and Paul
Jade and Paul met through mutual friends. "I think it's fair to say I was persistent," laughs Jade. "Over time our relationship blossomed, and in November 2018, Paul proposed. It was a total surprise to me! We were visiting Bermuda for my 30th birthday and were playing miniature golf and having a few cocktails when Paul popped the question. Following this, we went onto New York for a four-day stay before returning home for my birthday."