A HOLIDAY romance led to marital bliss for a couple who wed in the Lakes.

Patrick Burch Lovell, 33, an original content producer at European Tour Golf, and Natalie Payne, 31, a staff nurse, first met while on separate holidays in Albufeira, Portugal in 2012.

Mr Burch Lovell said he knew his future wife was the one as soon as he met her.

He said: "I saw Natalie on the dance floor with her friends and was instantly attracted to her fun-loving attitude, not to mention being drop dead gorgeous.

"I shuffled over with my best dance moves and offered to buy her a drink before realising I’d run out of money with it being my last night. My dance moves must have impressed her as she agreed to buy me a drink - these moves quickly back fired as I accidentally knocked both of our drinks out of our hands.

"Nat offered to buy me another one, it was then I knew she was the one."

The pair got engaged in a surprise proposal in their flat in October 2018.

Mrs Burch Lovell said: "I was completely taken by surprise, I had my pyjamas on and was feeling very settled in the flat.

"It was perfect and so romantic, my happy place is at home."

The couple got married at Storrs Hall in Windermere on October 9 in front of 10 guests.

The wedding was originally planned for March 27 but the couple was forced to postpone it for six months due to Covid-19.

Mrs Burch Lovell said: "The lead up to the wedding was really stressful. Government guidelines were changing daily and the rule of six meant that we had to change a lot of our arrangements to be able to go ahead.

"Throughout the day our guests had to wear masks and we were asked to remain in our ‘bubbles’.

"Despite these obstacles, all of those involved with our wedding did so much to make the day so special. Albeit slightly different to what we had planned, we really had the most perfect day."

The couple described the wedding as the 'best day' of their lives.

Mrs Burch Lovell said: "It was a really relaxed morning for me. I wanted it to slow down to soak it all in, but at the same time I just wanted to walk down the aisle to meet Pat.

"The music was beautiful, and seeing our families together was so special, it’s a moment and a feeling that I will never forget. Being such a small wedding party felt really intimate and raw, I could feel everyone’s love and emotion in the room.

"We had the most perfect day and we couldn’t have wished for anything more. It truly was the best day of our lives."

For the honeymoon, the couple stayed in the Lakes and are planning a holiday abroad in the future.

THANK YOU LIST: The couple would like to thank a number of people for making their day so special. These include both sets of families, the photographer Tiree Dawson, the staff at Storrs Hall, Ashley from Green House Floristry.