The Portsmouth couple who 'loved every minute' of their big day

'˜I had an idea that it was going to happen but I didn't know when. I didn't expect it to be in the sea!'

On the beautiful Island of Mauritius, John Williams, 48 proposed to Lee-Ann Reeves, 51, in March 2017.

John's frustration after many attempts to find the right moment throughout the holiday gave the romantic proposal a twist when he laughs, '˜I've been trying this for a few days, just get it on your finger!'

'˜I was scared he was going to drop the ring in the water,' says Lee-Ann, '˜it was funny, but very romantic.'

John and Lee-Ann were hoping for a low-key wedding abroad, but with 5 daughters, they realised that might not be possible.

'˜We planned on going away and having a really quiet ceremony, something quite simple. But we didn't want to exclude our daughters so we said we need to do it at home, really.'

After six-and-a-half years together, the couple finally tied the knot at The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth on July 21.

'˜It ended up being quite big and it was a beautiful day,' explains Lee-Ann, '˜I loved it. I loved every minute of it.'

Lee-Ann says although the wedding was slightly bigger than the couple had hoped for, she had everything she wanted and it turned out to be a lovely day.

'˜Walking into the square tower and everyone's face looking at me - I just felt so happy that all my friends and family were there. I loved that bit'.

The couple had their reception at Still and West, Old Portsmouth, with friends and family.

'˜We had the top floor to ourselves - it was lovely,' says Lee-Ann.

The couple saved some of the romance for the honeymoon at the beautiful Greek island of Alonnisos.

'˜It was really relaxing and luxurious and it just gave us time to unwind.'

The newly-weds both have demanding jobs with John travelling to London every day as a computer draughtsman and Lee-Ann working in the heart of Portsmouth as a health visitor. Therefore, it's no surprise they wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives.

'˜We did nothing but eat, sleep, read books and flop on the sunbed.

'˜It was lovely to reflect on everything that has happened and look at all the wedding photos,' says Lee-Ann.

'˜And we loved just spending time together.'

These fabulous photos are by Carla Mortimer Photography.

BY JESSICA HOWELLS