Sam & Adam: Manchester United

Sam and Adam first met in 2011 at a bar when they were 20 years of age. Now, a little over eight years later, they live together as husband and husband in Manchester, England. Their friends and family joined them for their wedding on June 30th, 2019. Read in their own words, how they met, fell in love, and planned an extraordinarily beautiful celebration at The Manchester Hall this past summer.

How did you meet?

“We frequented the same bars and subsequently hung around with the same group of friends. We had an instant attraction which at first took some time for us to develop into a relationship.  For both of us, it was our first serious relationship and so once we connected, we were inseparable. It took us some months to pluck up the courage to fix a date for our first date, but eventually I asked Adam and we went for lunch in the city and then had quite a relaxed cinema date! In fact, the film we watched was Bridesmaids – which had us both in stitches.”

How did you know that he was the one?

“After making our relationship official, it was not long after that we knew we were in love. The first time we said, “I love you” to each other was whilst on holiday, before going to sleep. I think it was a natural thing to say at the time and wasn’t forced – it was really nice.”

Who proposed? How did it happen?

“We had a family trip planned to visit New York for a week, and around 3 months before the trip I decided it would be the perfect time to pop the question to Adam. It took me some time to find the perfect ring, but keeping with the true New York theme I purchased one from Tiffany & Co. The next mission was to travel to JFK with it in secret! On the fourth day of our trip we had plans to visit Central Park to do a bike ride and then dine at the restaurant, Loeb Boathouse, that looks upon the lake. It was after the meal that Adam and I went for a stroll and I decided it would be good to have a sit down in a quiet area, at which point I turned to Adam with the ring and asked him to marry me.”

What was the atmosphere like on your wedding day?

“The mood was very much of excitement and of love. We arrived at the venue early in the morning with our groomsmaids and had breakfast and champagne together, then began to get ready. Our parents arrived at lunch time, and before we knew it our 115 guests began to arrive at 3pm. The morning went very fast. We quickly found ourselves in the pre-ceremony drinks reception together with our guests before walking to the ceremony room to take our vows. We had a string quartet which played us in, and then the registrar began. I asked my best friend, Lei and my cousin, Sarah to do a reading they wrote – which was absolutely incredible and full of love. After that, we were married! We joined our guests for a rooftop drinks reception, followed by a four course meal and more drinks, dancing and fun into the night. My favourite part was being surrounded by our closest friends and family, and for everyone to share the love which was felt all day long.

It was certainly an emotional day. I think for almost everyone in the room it was their first time attending a gay wedding, and to see Adam and I have the ability to secure our love with marriage was special. The registrar actually addressed our guests at the end of the ceremony to mention that of all the ceremonies she has conducted ours was by far the most emotional, and that you could really feel the love in the room. In fact, I almost think she was welling up as well as our guests! It was like a dream, to be stood at the front and with everybody living the moment with us, we wanted to cherish every moment.

Our family and friends have seen our relationship begin and flourish over the years we have been together, and for us to announce our engagement and marriage this year was very much welcomed. We are so lucky to have such supportive parents, friends and family around us, they would say we are the best of friends and our marriage has secured our love for one another.”

What was one of your favorite lines from your vows? 


“I take you as my friend and lover, beside me and apart from me, in laughter and in tears, through good times and bad times, asking that you be no more than yourself, loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not know yet, in all the ways life may find us.

I take you to be no other than yourself, in all the ways life may find us, tending you in sickness and rejoicing with you in health, as long as we both shall live to love.”

What was most surprising about your wedding day?

“I expected it to be a minefield, however by doing research and reading various blogs for tips and advice – as well as speaking with friends who have recently got married it made the whole thing less daunting!  We had a fantastic wedding planner, Shani - at our venue who took away a lot of stress and liaised with our suppliers etc all the way through up until the day of the wedding. So I guess what was most surprising is that it was quite an enjoyable process, as many will say I am a bit of an organisation freak therefore despite this being a bit more complex than planning a long haul holiday – it was fine.”

What advice would you give other couples planning their own wedding?

“Be organised, and try not to let the smaller details stress you out too much. The most important thing is to spend as much time with each other on the day, and as advised to us – to step away and really take the day in. I think because we did this, we have such amazing memories of the day, and also were able to enjoy our time together too.”

Where did you go for your honeymoon?

“The day after the wedding we had a day of rest which was very much required! Then we went set off on our honeymoon. First, we flew from Manchester to London and then over to Los Angeles. We flew with British Airways and were looked after so well in business class, the celebrations most definitely continued! Our first stay in Los Angeles was in West Hollywood at the Andaz Hotel, a superb location. We were able to see all of the sights and enjoy some incredible food at Cecconi’s, Perch, etc. We then went down to the coast and had a few nights in Santa Monica, staying at The Huntley, during which there was the LA earthquake and as many have said – the earth shook for us!”

Grooms’ Instagrams: Sam & Adam

Photography: Wedding Day Photos Instagram: @weddingdayphotos