Real Weddings from Your Sussex Wedding

Love Is A Drug

Steph and Abhi met through work, both being pharmacists working in the NHS. The two attended a medical conference in Basel, Switzerland, and after a few drinks and moves on the dancefl oor, they shared a kiss, and the rest is history! It wasn't long after this that Covid hit and the two formed their own bubble, supporting each other throughout this diffi cult time.

Wedfest!

Catherine and Mike are both police offi cers and met through work. The fi rst team Catherine joined after training college was Mike's and there was an instant spark between them. The more they got to know each other the more they realised how similar they are. When they both had Valentine's Day off in their shift pattern, they seized the opportunity and went on their fi rst date. Shortly after, Covid hit and the couple moved in together; it made sense as being key workers, they both had to continue working throughout the pandemic. "Long walks and many games of Scrabble and Monopoly kept us sane!" Catherine remembers.

One Ring To Rule Them All

Tegen and Sam met at the University of Brighton. Sam lived with a mutual friend and she first laid eyes on him at a gathering at her digs. Although they didn't speak much that night, when Sam posted a few days later that they'd be hosting a barbecue over at theirs, Tegen responded to ask if she could join them. Unfortunately, the barbie didn't go ahead, but Tegen invited Sam over to watch films and chill with her housemates instead. "I fell in love with him the third time I met him," Tegen shares. "I arranged to take our housemates down to the beach one day and picked Sam up on the way. When we got to the beach we were inseparable." They spent the next week together and became official a month later. "I fell in love with his ocean blue eyes, curly hair and dark sense of humour," Tegen continues. "Since then, he's been such a gentleman, he always takes care of me, and we always put each other first above anyone else. He's my safe space, home and heart."

Sand, Sea and Romance

Nicola Williams and Nicola Davies met as members of a Brighton walking group. When a mutual friend, Gill, arranged some walks and meals aside from the main group, the two had the opportunity to get to know each other a bit more. Eventually, Nicola W. asked Nicola D. out for a drink and their relationship grew from there.

Rustic Romance

Joe proposed to Mary at Disneyland Paris with their daughter, Ava, asleep in her pram. They'd known each other since childhood, having met at infant school. With their hearts set on a rustic barn wedding they set out on their venue search and fell in love with the beautiful Cissbury Barns in Findon, West Sussex. "We knew we wanted a beautiful, barn that was all enclosed for guests to mingle, especially for a running toddler!" Mary explains.

Country Charm

Chloe and Lewis met at Lewis' workplace. Chloe was friends with his boss' sister so they'd go and visit the workshop together. The future couple got on well together straight away with plenty of banter and they became friends. "Everyone wanted to set us up and egged us on to go on a date," Chloe says. "Once we did, the rest was history." Indeed, the first date went so well, Lewis tells us, "Afterwards, I knew I was going to marry her."

Viking Heart

Siobhan met Nick when she started working in the same pub as him, and according to Nick it was love at first sight! The two clicked from the outset, having similar interests in music and games, but it wasn't until Siobhan was due to leave for university some two years later that Nick plucked up the courage to express his feelings and they started dating.

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

Alexandra and Oliver both swiped right! "Oliver's fi rst words to me were a joke about Gummy Bears, which made me giggle," Alexandra remembers. The two met for dinner at a local country pub for their fi rst date and felt completely at ease with each other right away. They'd been dating for a year when they went on their fi rst Disney World trip together. By the time they got back, they'd decided to start saving for their first house.

From Sussex With Love

Sasha and Ted's story is a modern romance having met on Tinder back in 2016. Sasha had just moved back to her parents' in Eastbourne after university, and Ted was working in Lewes. "I will admit, it was the photo of Ted with his family's boxer dog, Bruce, that made me think he seemed like a really nice guy," Sasha shares. They went for their fi rst date at a local country pub and hit it off right away, soon discovering a similar sense of humour and shared family values.

Love At First Sight

'I fell in love with Ben as soon as I saw him in a petrol station and he opened the door for me," Joanna tells us. Later, she randomly found him on Facebook, they met up the next day after exchanging messages, and have been inseparable since. When Ben decided to pop the question, he did so at the Eiffel Tower late at night when it was lit up and sparkled as brightly as Joanna's engagement ring.

Romance At The Manor

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.

Out Of The Blue

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.

Come Fly With Me

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.

Rustic Romance

Soon after they met online Katie and Kieron set up their first date. When they met at a local pub there was an instant attraction, neither could stop smiling and both knew this felt different.

Best Day Ever

Lydia and Damien met at university and quickly became great friends, bonding over laughter, silliness and a shared love of festivals and animals. It wasn't until six years later though that their loyal friendship turned into something more and they began dating.

Romance On The Road

Gem and Matt met at university and soon discovered a lot in common both in terms of interests and values. They became friends, and even now, after their relationship blossomed into something much more, Matt still says that Gem is his best mate. During lockdown the couple converted an old school mini bus into a campervan and planned a four-week trip around the UK for when it was completed in the summer of '21, taking them from Durdle Door to the NC 500 in Scotland. When they arrived at the campsite at their first stop and finished setting up, they headed down to the beach at Durdle Door for a sunset walk. It was at this romantic spot right on the shoreline, that Matt proposed. "I was completely shocked and so happy," Gem tells us.

Home Sweet Home

Nicholas and Michael met on Tinder during one of the national Covid lockdowns. They chatted online for a while until it was safe to meet up. But even then social distancing restrictions were still in place, so they were forced to resort to a MacDonald's car park – "Very classy," laughs Nicholas.

Together Forever

Natalie and Josh met at a party 13 years ago, and Josh proposed in 2016 just before Christmas. He'd intended to pop the question in Paris on New Year's Eve, but collected the ring early and was so excited, he couldn't keep it a secret any longer! He booked a restaurant in Brighton instead and happily Natalie said, "Yes."

Could It Be Magic

Grace and Mark met through work and decided to give coupledom a shot at the Christmas party back in 2016. Fast forwarding four years we find the couple on top of Cheddar Gorge near Glastonbury, where Mark popped the question. The original plan was to propose a few months earlier, while they on holiday in South Africa, but unfortunately Covid put a stop to that. But the new version on home soil was definitely an incredible surprise for Grace who of course said, "Yes"!

Love At First Swipe

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.