Childhood friends to husband and wife: The Harpers' dream wedding

But when Alice was ten, she moved away and they lost contact.

When they saw each other again years later at a mutual friend’s party, they fell in love at first sight and haven’t been apart since.

The couple tied the knot in August with their little boy Arthur Leo by their side, in front of family and friends.

Here, Alice, who is 29, and 35-year-old Danny, from Rudheath tell us their wedding story, in their own words.

If you’ve tied the knot this year or are planning to get married in the next few months, and would like to appear in ‘Our Wedding Day’ feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

The couple's son Arthur Leo was a big part of the day

When and how did you meet?

Alice: We met when we were young children, during our childhood we both lived on the same street across the road from each other. We spent a lot of time together on family holidays, days out and playing out on the street. When I was 10, I moved away from the street and we lost contact. Years later, I was at my friend’s barbecue, and she friend mentioned that her cousin was coming with her friend Danny, which at the time didn’t ring any bells. When we saw each other, it honestly felt like love at first sight. We went on our first date the following day and haven’t been apart since.

What did you think of each other when you first met?

Alice: I loved Danny’s eyes and smile, he was just such a gorgeous person, inside and out. I instantly felt so comfortable around him.

Danny: I was so happy to see Alice again. Although we knew each other before it was like meeting again for the first time. I thought Alice was beautiful.

Where and when did you get engaged?

The Park Royal in Warrington on December 22, 2022 - our 10-year anniversary

How did one of you propose?

Alice: Danny proposed to me in the hotel room. It was just us two and it was perfect. He had the whole room decorated in heart shaped balloons and red rose petals. He barely managed to ask me to marry him as he was in floods of tears.

What was the date of the wedding and reception?

August 24

Alice and Danny said "I do" on August 24

What was the location of the wedding and reception?

The Manor House Hotel, Alsager

How were you feeling on the morning of your wedding?

Alice: Surprisingly, I felt so nervous all the way through the night and hardly slept at all. But as soon as we started to get ready I was so excited. My mum, auntie and bridesmaids were by my side keeping me calm – they kept the vibe so positive. All the girls were dancing to Fireball while I was having my make up done!

Danny: I was super nervous but also emotional. I was texting Alice’s family with updates as I couldn’t keep still. Everyone could see how excited I was.

How would you describe your wedding?

Alice: Our wedding was beautiful, modern and full of love. We had everyone there who we wanted, which felt special. Our wedding was bright, full of laughter and fun. We had been together such a long time before tying the knot. Our family and friends were so happy to see us finally become husband and wife.

How many guests did you have?

Danny: We had 69 guests, including 11 immediate family children

What did your guests eat?

Danny: Our venue offered a choice of options so the guests had a choice of creamy garlic mushrooms or chicken liver pate for starter, roast beef or chicken supreme with all the trimmings for main and desserts were crème brûlée or apple and berry crumble

The couple enjoyed their photoshoot in the hotel grounds

Did you have a first dance? If so, what was the song and why did you choose it?

Alice: Yes, our first dance was to Stargazing – Moonlight version by Myles Smith. My auntie Angela Jones has a huge passion for dancing and choreographed our first dance. She taught us over a few weeks before the wedding and our guests were so shocked. It looked amazing watching it back. Ange was so proud - she ran over and gave us a huge hug with a tear in her eye. We chose this song as it’s just simply beautiful. The words in the song talk about how to love and that is exactly as we felt. It’s such a gorgeous song.

Did you have speeches? How did they go?

Danny: Yes, we had father of the bride, maid of honour, best man, groom and bride.

Alice: They were all amazing. Each speech was totally personal, we felt the true emotion and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. Everyone shared memories of the favourite parts of our lives along with their best wishes for the future.

Danny: Alice decided to make hers even more special and rather than doing a bouquet toss, she dedicated it to her mum and thanked her for everything she had done throughout her life. Alice and her mum are best friends.

What are your favourite memories of the day?

Alice: Our favourite memories of the day are seeing each other at the altar for the first time. Danny: Alice had been to a recording studio and sang the walking down the aisle song, which was a complete surprise until that moment.

Alice: Danny crumbled and instantly broke down in tears. Dan always loved my singing and doing this was just something to treasure forever.

Danny: Alice also sang her mum and dad a song to dance to at the evening reception with her and they both felt really touched.

Alice: I didn’t show any of my bridal party my wedding dress, so it was surreal having them see it in the flesh on the day for the first time and capturing their true emotion.

Alice: Me and Danny loved having our couple shots. We spent time at the back of the hotel on the grass area with nothing but green for miles and had some beautiful photos. It was so nice having some time alone together to do these.

Tell us a little bit about your outfits on the day

Alice: Our colour scheme was white, green and dusty blue. Our bridesmaids each wore a dress of their choice, which we had custom made at a shop in Preston. The groomsmen all wore a three-piece tuxedo which was so smart. I tried on 20 dresses in total - there were so many different styles but none felt right. The last one I tried on, my mum, step dad and maid of honour all cried. This was the one we wanted to try before we even went to the shop - Brides of Chester. We knew it was the one - it was exactly how I dreamed I’d look and feel. It was a fairytale dress to match the theme of our wedding. It was an A-Line Bardot style dress with a train to match my full sparkle cathedral veil. It had an embroidered flower effect on the dress. It was elegant and I felt my true self

The Manor House Hotel in Alsager was the perfect location for the wedding

Did you go on honeymoon? Where did you go?

Danny: We had our honeymoon in September, to Crete at the Nana Golden Beach hotel. We went with Alice’s mum Stella and step dad Andy and our little boy Arthur Leo. We went for a week and it was absolutely beautiful - just a week of laughter, fun, sun, cocktails and plenty of good food.

Please tell us a little bit about the things you have in common. Why do you love each other? Why did you want to get married?

Alice: We have loved each other since the start of our relationship 13 years ago. We have shared each other’s proudest moments and supported each other through some really difficult times. This is what true love to is. Our love is comfortable, kind and caring. We always think of each other throughout every day and we barely spend a day apart. We are each other’s best friend. We have been through some hard times to have our son Arthur Leo. Facing things as a couple, we thought would never happen, but we fought through and overcame it. We decided to get married as we knew we wanted to be a complete family and symbolise our love. We will now share the same name and share together forever.

Photo credit: Charlie Norbury Photography

Content creator: Bridal Bestie Club