Our 2013 Dream Wedding Competition Winners Revealed!
Congratulations to Leah Brown and Matthew Rollinson, the Yorkshire couple who are today revealed as the winners of our 2013 Dream Wedding Competition. The couple were at Matthew's mum's house earlier when Leah received an unexpected phone call with the news she'd been waiting for all morning!
What happens when UKbride phones you to tell you that you're the winner of our 2013 Dream Wedding competition? Just ask our winners, who we're delighted to reveal are Leah Brown and Matthew Rollinson.
The couple are both 21 and live in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Both are students at the local university, and the couple have been engaged since June 2012 when Matthew surprised Leah by dropping down on one knee on a sunset beach in Cuba.
"We've been friends since we were 15. We were hanging around in the street where we lived and Matt came out to walk his dog, coming over to us to chat to one of his friends. He took one look at me and did a double take... you can almost say it was love at first sight!"
The couple were planning to marry in an intimate celebration near their home, but with a much-anticipated phone call this morning, their wedding plans have dramatically changed for the better.
"We were round Matthew's mums, sitting in the kitchen. When the phone rang the person on the other line asked me to confirm our wedding date. I though it was the venue at first!"
On the other end of the line was Jayne Broughton, UKbride's Dream Wedding Co-ordinator. She revealed she had just drawn the winner of our 2013 Dream Wedding Competition and she'd like to congratulate her. Leah was on speakerphone in the UKbride office, and a huge scream and lots of whooping, cheering and clapping from the team followed... and all we could hear after that was a shocked Leah burst into tears. "Have I made your day?" asked Jayne.
"You've made my year!" Leah replied, "That's amazing, thankyou so much!"
Leah and Matthew will enjoy planning their wedding with our prize partners who will provide everything from wedding dresses, bridesmaids' dresses and groomswear to a dream honeymoon, cake, stationery, and loads more - find out more opposite!
The whole UKbride team want to offer Leah and Matthew our warmest wishes and congratulations - now the wedding planning can begin in earnest and we'll let you know how it's going by following the couple's story in the run up to their wedding in June next year.
Our UKBride Dream Wedding Prize Partners - look what Leah and Matthew have won!
Eternity Bridal will provide Leah's dress, with a choice of beautiful classic 'A' line wedding dresses, Eternity Bridal will ensure she looks amazing on her special day. The collection features full style bridal gown with skirts in tulle, organza, taffeta and satin. Teamed with fully boned tight fitting corsets for that true ‘Gone with the Wind’ feel. Many have lace up backs to ease the need for in house alterations.
Berketex Bride will ensure Leah's attendants looks beautiful too, with beautiful bridesmaids' gowns worth up to £1,000. The company has been making dreams come true for over 50 years and its 2013 collection features beautiful detailing and a choice of gorgeous colours to match the theme of our dream wedding.
Formally Yours Meanwhile, for up to six of Matthew's groomsmen, we've partnered with Formally Yours. The company provides the very best service to grooms across the UK and has over 20 years experience on the high street and online. Choose from Prince Edward jackets, tailcoats and lounge suits and co-ordinate the groomsmen to Matthew's colour scheme with a selection of ties and cravats.
Benji Barnes Capturing your special day forever will be wedding photographer Benji Barnes. With a photography degree and 15 years of experience under his belt, Benji will capture compelling images of Leah and Matthew in a relaxed, natural and unobtrusive way. With experience shooting for magazines like Vogue and big names in the music industry, he really will make the couple the star of the day!
Union Videos are our fantastic videography partners. Ivano Darra's team will film Leah and Matthew's day and edit together a superb DVD created in line with the firm's most popular Pearl Plus package. The company will film their day for eight hours with two cameras. From guests arriving at the ceremony to the ceremony itself, the bride and groom's arrival at the wedding breakfast and speeches, as well as the first dance. The couple's finished video will be edited to 60 minutes and will include live sound as well as the couple's favourite songs as backing music with artwork and graphics.
Kuoni are the experts when it comes to creating luxury bespoke travel packages. Kuoni has been around since 1906 and will provide Leah and Matthew with a dream honeymoon to gorgeous Thailand to the four star retreat on the island of Koh Samui, with pure white beaches and azure seas lined with long-tailed fishing boats! The couple will enjoy a Thai massage, listen to the waves break as they dine under the stars and enjoy the luxury of one of the country's Top 25 Hotels as voted for by TripAdvisor users. The company has been voted the World's Leading Tour Operator for the past 11 years and specialises in intimate and romantic resorts for newlyweds!
Smooch are well-known and well-respected by our UKbrides for their beautiful wedding rings which are completely bespoke, and designed by you following a personal consultation in your home. There are 7,000 styles to choose from and the firm has 75,000 satisfied customers... Leah and Matthew will add their names to that number too with bespoke 'his and hers' wedding rings!
Picture Perfect Events are the creative wedding styling specialists, providing decoration, floristry and wedding accessories. The company's Samantha Martin will provide a wedding styling package for the couple which will create an absolutely amazing looking venue and ensure Leah and Matthew's day looks truly unique.
Sophisticake creates amazing wedding cakes and was the official cake artist for Charles and Camilla. The company's Dawn Blunden has over 25 years experience and tutors other cake artists. She has also appeared on BBC TV to talk about her work. The couple will enjoy a personal wedding consultation before Dawn creates the cake of Leah's dreams!
Dreams to Reality provides classical and modern stationery and hand-crafted wedding invitations to brides all over the UK. The firm's creative director Frances Roxburgh provides save the date and invite stationery, table plans, guest books, albums and keepsakes. Each is completely personalised and with beautiful collections to choose from, the company will ensure Leah and Matthew can create a consistent look for their special day and have some beautiful keepsakes to treasure long after the day itself.
Tic Watches offer the latest watches from high-fashion brands including D&G and Emporio Armani. The company offers the latest styles for men, women & children, and will be providing Armani watches worth £500 each, for Leah and Matthew.
Marks and Spencer What better way for Leah to look and feel fabulous on her wedding night than by wearing a beautiful piece from the Rosie for Autograph lingerie collection at M&S.
Aruna Seth shoes will ensure Leah puts her best foot forward as she walks down the aisle with a beautiful pair of ivory butterfly heel wedding shoes in luxurious satin. The company's acclaimed designer Aruna specialises in beautifully embellished wedding shoes which feature Swarovski crystals and her trademark butterfly motif, to perfectly finish the bride's wedding outfit.
Have and 2 Hold will provide Leah with her bride's crystal bouquet, a posey and buttonhole. The firm specialises in pomanders, bouquets, corsages and buttonholes all in stunning crystal.
Sienna X the salon-quality self-tanning system will provide a huge range of products from body scrub to self-tan to bronzer to create a radiant, natural-looking glow just in time for Leah's special day.
Champneys ...and to really pamper Leah in the run up to her wedding, spa retreat specialists Champneys will provide our bride-to-be with a three night spa break including access to up to 20 classes, breakfast, dinner and lunch, as well as unlimited use of their resorts' facilities and a Thalassotherapy pool session.