Proposal on Spanish steps caps a fine Rome-ance for couple

She turned around on the Spanish steps in the city, a special place for the couple, to find him on one knee asking her to marry him.

Katie said yes of course and they began planning their wedding at the Dalmeny Hotel in St Annes.

Katie, 27, is a social worker and Chris, 37, works as a graphic designer, and is also a singer with local band The Keytars.

The couple, of Carleton, met at the Steamer in Fleetwood where Chris was playing a gig with his band. They were introduced by Katie’s friend Lucy who was dating fellow band member Paul.

When Chris decided to propose he caught Katie completely by surprise.

She explained: “I was totally unaware Chris was going to propose.

“We’d been together five years and he’d always made me think he was against marriage.

“Unbeknown to me at the time, he had planned to propose at the Trevi Fountain.

“But when we got there, it was under construction and surrounded by metal fences and scaffolding! He proposed a couple of days later half way down the Spanish steps.

“I cried my eyes out when I turned around and he was on one knee! I was so surprised, but so happy! He had been to ask for my dad’s permission, the day before we went away.”

Their engagement in Italy inspired their Italian themed wedding day which was everything they hoped for and included two best men, eight bridesmaids and two ushers.

They were blessed with beautiful weather which created a perfect scene for a wedding by the beach. The venue was dressed by Jen Barton from Pretty Little Parties, following the Italian theme with post cards from the places Chris and Katie had been to in Italy and pizzas made from sweets on the candy buffet.

Katie said: “I was so pleased to have met her at a wedding fayre, as she really made the day so special.

“We have a lot of musical friends and family, so there was lots of live music including my dad who played guitar and sang whilst we signed the registers. Darren Lee sang and played guitar at the drinks reception, Tony Benedict sang during the meal and The Keytars played a set too. I restricted Chris to playing four songs so he wasn’t up there all night and he surprised me by singing John Legend’s All of Me’, which was lovely. My cousins Adam and Joe Morgan also sang and played guitar and Gary Mills was our fabulous wedding DJ.

“The staff at the Dalmeny were great, especially Kath, Darren and Billy. They even arranged for an Italian waiter to make an announcements in Italian and English.

During the evening as Chris and Katie enjoyed their second dance to Coldplay’s Sky Full of Stars, 10 confetti canons were fired from the balcony.

“It was great,” said Katie, “guests were really surprised and were jumping around dancing!

“It really was such a perfect day, I loved every bit of it from the proposal to the planning and the big day. We are so lucky to have had kind and talented friends and family who got involved.”

Chris added: “I had a fantastic day, it was the best day of my life and my wife looked so beautiful. It was so lovely to see all our family and friends partying the night away with us, I will treasure it for years to come.”