Me, You & Megatron: A Real Engagement In The North East – Sam & Grant

Posted on: 21/08/2012

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A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a very cute couple, Grant & Sam, telling me all about their plans for a fabulously personal wedding celebration coming up this very weekend!  I am itching to blog their Real Wedding images in just a few weeks time.  However, since these two are the real deal – and so delightfully excited about saying I do – that I just had to share their love story with you first.

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Enjoy this gorgeous set of photographs by Brides Up North Featured Supplier and North East wedding photographer Helen Russell Photography, and Grant & Sam’s lovely love story. 

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Sam says:  Grant proposed in October 2008 on a surprise long weekend trip to Paris.

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We lived in Kent at the time and took two weeks off work to travel back to the North East for my Sister’s 21st Birthday.  After the birthday party, Grant surprised me with my passport and said we were going to Paris for a long weekend.  Once in Paris, Grant surprised me again with a romantic evening river cruise on the Seine.

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At the end of our meal on the cruise, a waiter came over carrying a plate covered by a paper napkin, which I removed to reveal the ring box.  Grant got down on one knee, I said yes, to the delight of the other guests on the boat who all cheered.

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Grant proposed with a dress ring and as soon as we returned from Paris, he took me to the Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham for my final surprise, where he had pre-arranged an appointment and selected his three favourite rings for me to choose from.  I love my engagement ring and got “Paris 18/10/08” engraved on the inside to remind me of the amazing weekend.

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We are getting married at Hardwick Hall Hotel, Sedgefield this August. {Editor’s note – great venue!  In fact, the venue for my own wedding!}

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We met in 2004 at Tall Trees, Yarm.  For our first date, Grant took me for a meal, followed by the cinema. It was a Robert De Niro film called Godsend. The movie wasn’t very good but the company was great.

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After graduating from university, Grant was offered an amazing job opportunity but involved moving to Kent. We hadn’t been together that long but we knew we had something special and decided to have a long distance relationship. After two years, I moved down South to join him. It was our biggest challenge – overcoming that, we know we can accomplish anything together.

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We have recently moved back to the North East to settle down and are going from strength from strength, having bought a house and looking forward to married life.

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Grant is always there for me no matter what. He is really supportive and I love that we have so much in common.  Sometimes we know exactly what each other is thinking without saying anything.

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However, he is not perfect. There are three people in our relationship:  Me, Grant and Grant’s laptop, called Megatron.  Megatron is definitely not coming on our Honeymoon with us!

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My biggest wish for married life is to replicate the happiness of my Nana and Grandad, they have been married for 54 years and still going strong.

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We chose an engagement shoot to get to know our photographer, Helen Russell Photography and practice for the big day.  We really enjoyed the shoot, it was a great day. I was nervous at first but, by the end, much more relaxed and looking forward to working with Helen on our wedding day.  We have created a few products using the engagement shoot photos: a photo book keepsake, a framed mount for guests to sign at the wedding and we also created our own video slideshow set to one of our favourite songs. 

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I have found Brides Up North to be a great source of inspiration and ideas, particularly the Real Weddings section  I love that the content is relevant with local suppliers and some great competitions too.

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We will definitely be back to share the photos with you from our special day!

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Congratulations Sam & Grant!

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Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2012 Helen Russell Photography

Helen Russell Photography is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, but this is not a sponsored post

Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier

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