Portsmouth couple finally wed exactly one year after original date

However exactly one year later, the Portsmouth couple married at Marwell Hotel, Winchester, describing it as ‘the happiest day of their lives’.

Having met nine years ago at Sports Direct, Leanne, née Leach, 25, and Reece, 29, recall bonding over their love for cookies. Leanne, who works as a secondary school teacher, says: ‘I just remember Reece being really sweet and friendly.’

The couple got engaged in November 2016 when they visited the Harry Potter Studios, Watford. Despite them both discussing marriage, Leanne was taken aback when Reece got down on one knee.

She says: ‘He asked someone to get a picture of us both in the Great Hall and when I turned around he was down on one knee.

‘People were clapping. I was so shocked. It was such a happy day.’

The couple got engaged while Leanne was still at university so decided to wait until she graduated to plan the wedding. However once they started looking at venues, it was hard to resist booking.

‘We fell in love with the Marwell Hotel and booked it three years in advance for our original wedding on May 30 in 2020,’ explains Leanne.

The week that Boris Johnson locked the country down for the first time in March 2020 was the weekend Leanne was meant to fly to sunnier climes with her bridesmaids for her hen-do.

‘It was so upsetting when we had to postpone everything last year,’ she says. ‘But on our original date last year, we still celebrated and had a nice meal. Our friends and family dropped round presents and we celebrated at a social distance.’

Although the beginning of 2021 was uncertain, Leanne and Reece were adamant they were going to be wed. ‘Whether it was 30 guests or five, we wanted to get married. We decided that during the lockdowns before and after Christmas.’

Thankfully, restrictions were lifted enough for the couple to celebrate with 30 of their family and friends. They also enjoyed a mini-moon in Cornwall before their proper honeymoon in 2022.

Leanne says: ‘It was such a lovely day. It was so nice for us all to have something to celebrate.

‘One of my favourite moments was when I first heard the music and saw Reece crying. I just love how he loves me for me.’