Mel & Darren's Wedding With A Real Knight in Shining Armour

I’m a big fan of Wendy Grant photography and when we were talking about weddings to feature she told me about the knight in shining armour. Yup, this goes down as one of the most romantic proposals I’ve heard of and I couldn’t resist featuring the wedding.

Mel and Darren have been together for 20 years and have four year old twins. Darren proposed about 10 years ago in a pub where Mel said yes, but Darren wanted to do it again and boy did he go all out. Mel is a big fan of horses so Darren had secret riding lessons at a nearby riding school where the staff were all sworn to secrecy. He was trained up until the school was happy that he could ride with a full traditional knights outfit on. Then on the anniversary of the date they met, while Mel was walking to the equestrian centre, Darren came riding down on his horse, dismounted and asked Mel to marry him. A total surprise to Mel and a truly romantic gesture (the photographer Wendy popped out of the bushes to catch the moment)!

The wedding took place a year after the proposal and included many Cypriot family traditions and Sparky the horse who was adorned in lilac ribbon. In keeping with the horsy theme the wedding was held in a marquee at the Loughton Manor Equestrian Centre. What a lovely day for a knight in shining armor and his princess.

How would you describe your wedding day

Relaxed, chilled out, a mix of rustic romance and big fat Greek wedding!

What was your favourite part of the day?

Exchanging vows at the church and when the bouncy castle collapsed on the guests lol. Oh and bouncing on the castle with Darren… and the food… and my mum and dads happiness, too many unique moments.

Words of wisdom for couples planning their wedding?

Enjoy every moment and make sure you make the time to spend a few special moments with the people that mean the most to you. And if things go wrong no one will really notice.

The best advice you received for your big day?

Relax… and stay calm.

Anything you’d change?

Mmm more time with my groom on the day and the horse to like me a little more with my dress on.