Wedding: Lucy Dorey and Dan Robinson's freshers' friendship turned to love

There's an undeniable chemistry between them '“ and not just because they both study science.
Daniel and Lucy Dorey-Robinson married at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney. Picture: markrobbinsphotography.co.uk.Daniel and Lucy Dorey-Robinson married at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney. Picture: markrobbinsphotography.co.uk.
Daniel and Lucy Dorey-Robinson married at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney. Picture: markrobbinsphotography.co.uk.

The couple, both 26, met in September 2009 at a fresher’s barbecue at Aberystwyth University in Wales.

Lucy, who is from Portsmouth, says: ‘Dan was sat down in a circle of people when I arrived.

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‘I had a hot dog in one hand, a burger in the other, and I sat next to him and started a conversation.

‘I was acting a bit strange because I was nervous but also excited.

‘I kept offering him different types of meat because I noticed he wasn’t eating, even though he’d told me he was a vegetarian.’

But Lucy didn’t put Birmingham-born Dan off. In fact, he took a liking to her and the pair became good friends.

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It then wasn’t until Lucy returned to Portsmouth over Christmas that she realised she liked Dan as more than a friend.

‘It was quite a shocking moment of realisation for me,’ she says. ‘Out of everyone Dan was the only one I’d noticed I’d really missed.

‘I thought to myself, “oh my God, I like this man!”’

Luckily for Lucy the feelings were mutual and the couple, who now live in Hertfordshire, started dating upon their return to Wales.

After their time there they moved to London to start their PhDs at different universities.

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In 2014 Dan whisked Lucy up to Dunstable Downs, the highest point of the county in Bedfordshire which is home to stunning views.

He asked his best friend to become his wife after a picnic full of laughter under the stars.

Lucy says: ‘The views were breathtaking.

‘We’re really into our stargazing and it was a beautiful night for it.

‘After we’d eaten Dan said he needed to get something from the car.

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‘I was thinking it would be some pudding, then he came back and got on one knee.

‘I got all giddy and giggly as he pulled out the ring.’

Although the car Lucy travelled in on the day of the wedding broke down outside the gate, Lucy says she was so excited that nothing could dampen her mood.

‘I ended up being late, but I was still laughing as I walked in.

‘The day was the best bundle of fun I’ve ever experienced.’

She adds: ‘When we said our vows it was such a surreal moment.’

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Lucy had Charlotte Wilding, 26, as maid of honour, and friends Fiona Williams, Sam Ward, and Laura Bolt, all 26, as bridesmaids.

The best men were the couple’s friends Stuart Thomas and Matthew Levai, both 26. The ushers were Liam Dorey and Lewis Robinson, both 19.

Lucy says that the couple, who double-barrelled their surname, are soulmates.

‘Because we were best friends before we dated our love is very genuine.

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‘I feel comfortable knowing I don’t have to look or be a certain way because Dan’s happy with who I am.

‘We’re now in the post-doc era of our PhDs so we will soon be looking for work, then it’s a house of our own and a family.’

Lucy and Dan spent 16 blissful days in Mexico for their honeymoon.