Real Weddings from Your Sussex Wedding

Blooming Marvellous Day

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.

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.

We Are Family

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.

Dazzling art deco

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.

Two doors down

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.

You give me butterflies

Kayleigh and Haden met while working as prison officers.Together, they built a strong friendship, then further down the line this naturally blossomed into a relationship. Haden proposed at home one day. He came into their bedroom, where Kayleigh was sitting at the time, with her daughters – Immi, three,and Leila, five. Her youngest gave Kayleigh a ring box and asked, "Will you marry Haden?" Kayleigh remembers, "It was a massive surprise and completely perfect to involve the children."

Something blue

Having moved with his family down to Sussex from London, Harry joined the local sixth form, which Zoe already attended. He was soon cajoled into a night out by his new friend Duncan, and that's where he met Zoe. "One thing lead to another and now, 10 years later, we're married," she says. "We've always just enjoyed each other's company and we often say to each other that we just love doing life together."

Autumnal bliss

Charlotte and Ryan met at university and soon became inseparable. "Despite being very different people with many different interests, it just worked," Charlotte says, "Being at uni could be stressful and Ryan was always there, being a calming influence, which I definitely needed as I was the opposite. He never failed to make me laugh and became, not only my boyfriend, but my best friend." The couple decided to move in together during their last year of studying and have lived together ever since.

Spice it up

Following an unsuccessful date in London a disheartened Becca wiled away the journey home by scrolling through Tinder. Some might argue that this was destiny, as if she'd waited until she was at home she wouldn't have been in the same location radius as Jack and they might never have been matched. They got in touch and spent days chatting over WhatsApp before exchanging phone calls. "We knew at this point we had lots in common and the biggest tick of all was that we made each other laugh," Becca remembers. They met in Crawley for their first date where, having bonded over their Nandos order, they moved on to bowling and shots at the pub – the rest, as they say, is history.

Escape to the country

Chloe and Ray met, covered in neon paint, following their university's freshers week foam party. And from celebratory beginnings came a festive proposal. While putting up the decorations at Christmas in 2019 Ray produced several tree baubles he'd made featuring photos of the two of them. When they were finished they stepped back to admire the tree, Michael Buble's Christmas songs playing in the background – "I remember thinking what a lovely moment it was," Chloe says. But it was about to get even better, as Ray announced he had one more decoration to add. He handed her a handmade box, which contained a hand-painted ceramic disc with a Christmas tree on one side and on the other, as she turned it over to discover, were the words, "Will you marry me?" As she looked up she found Ray on one knee holding out her engagement ring, and somewhere amongst the happy tears Chloe managed to say, "Yes."

Love wins

Laura met Mike in the oh-so modern way – online. While he was attracted to her genuine and down-to-earth personality, Laura says, "I fell in love with Mike's beautiful blue eyes and I'm not going to lie, the picture of him in his TA uniform was definitely a plus. I've always liked a man in uniform... who doesn't?!"

When Mike proposed in 2015 it wasn't a surprise as he'd asked Laura to go ring shopping the week before. "It was so much fun as I got to personally choose my engagement ring," Laura remembers. When the time came to pop the question, Mike took Laura on a romantic walk to Reculver, the beautiful church ruins on a cliff face, wine and glasses in hand. Despite being nervous he asked Laura to be his wife in the traditional way – on one knee – albeit in a puddle.

Opposites attract

When April and Lee met up for their first date at a pub in Brighton they quickly felt at ease in each other's company. So, it didn't take long for their relationship to blossom from there and they moved in together six months later. April says, "We're like chalk and cheese, but I think that's why it works so well – being so different brings balance to the relationship. We do have lots in common though, including a shared love for our adopted Birman cat, Larry."

In the country

Having both ended previous relationships, Becci and Ed moved back in with their respective parents, who happened to live opposite each other. Becci's dad would often enjoy neighbourly chats with Ed in the front garden. One day, Becci's sister thought it would be hilarious to tell Ed that Becci fancied him, despite nothing of the sort ever being discussed. Mortified when she found out, she announced to Ed, having bumped into him on a night out, that it had all been a prank. Nevertheless, a few days later he asked her out for a drink and the rest is history. "Seven years, one wedding, three kids later and here we are," Becci says.