From teenage sweethearts to a marriage proposal over lasagne - Ellis and Tiffany Phythian had a magical wedding day

Tiffany spent the rest of the night in floods of tears, checking whether Ellis was sure he wanted to get married, and the lasagne was long forgotten.

Fast forward 18 months and the happy couple, who have been together since they were teenagers, said I do at Pryors Hayes Golf Club in Chester in front of family and friends.

Former Penketh High School student Ellis and Tiffany, who went to Great Sankey High School, are both 27 and live in Great Sankey.

Here, the new Mr and Mrs Phythian tell us their wedding day story, in their own words.

The happy couple

When and how did you meet?

Tiffany: We first met when we were 16. We used to get the same bus to college every day. However, we didn’t speak to each other for over a year as we were both too shy. I found Ellis on Facebook and our relationship went from there.

What did you think of each other when you first met?

Ellis: I thought she was very smiley, once we started speaking, and I soon realised how kind and lovely she was.

Tiff: I thought, “who is this cute lad in his jogging bottoms and his hoodie?” He had a beautiful smile and mesmerising eyes.

Where and when did you get engaged?

Ellis: On February 15 last year. In the kitchen!

How did one of you propose?

Tiffany: I had just come home and Ellis was making dinner - lasagne, which is one of our favourites. We were talking about our day when he went a bit funny and pulled a ring out of his pocket! He got down on one knee, started crying and said: “This isn’t how I wanted to do this but will you marry me?” All I kept saying was “Are you sure?” and “Really?” We didn’t even eat the lasagne as I just kept crying!

What was the date of the wedding and reception?

Tiffany: Our magical day happened on Saturday, September 17.

What was the location of the wedding and reception?

Ellis: The whole wedding was at Pryors Hayes Golf Club in Chester.

The grounds of Pryors Hayes Golf Club in Chester was the perfect place for photos

How were you feeling on the morning of your wedding?

Ellis: I was really nervous and stressing about everything. I don’t usually stress about anything. But I was also very excited to be marrying the woman I love. I checked I had everything about 50 times – vows, speeches and rings.

Tiffany: For a change, I was feeling pretty chilled after having a panic the night before that I had forgotten to do something. I was petrified that Ellis wasn’t going to turn up but I was so excited to see him.

How would you describe your wedding?

Tiffany: It was the BEST day of our lives. The weather was perfect so we could have our ceremony outside and everything went so smoothly. We had a magician, which everyone enjoyed, and the day was full of laughter and love - just how we wanted it. We did a DIY wedding and it all looked just how we hoped. We wrote our own vows to make it more personal and luckily we were composed enough to read them.

Ellis and Tiffany wrote their own vows for the ceremony

How many guests did you have?

Ellis: We had 70 guests throughout the day.

What did your guests eat?

Ellis: We had a sit-down BBQ which was lovely and the weather made it even better. It felt like summer.

Did you have a first dance?

Ellis: Our first dance was to Iris by Goo Goo Dolls. It’s a very emotional song and it meant a lot to us. It was the perfect song.

Did you have speeches? How did they go?

Ellis: We had three speeches – father of the bride, the groom and the best man. I was so nervous as I’m not a public speaker, but everyone said how meaningful it was. The best man’s speech went down well – luckily!

Tiffany: I am so proud of Ellis. His speech was beautiful and from the heart but it also made us all laugh as well.

Ellis' speech was beautiful and came from the heart

What are your favourite memories of the day?

Tiffany: There are so many beautiful memories from our special day. From start to finish we enjoyed every second.

Ellis: For me it was watching Tiff walk down the aisle, reading our vows to each other, getting our pictures done and being in the moment. We had a Mr and Mrs game and our first dance which were great fun.

Tiffany: I loved every moment of the day. Our ceremony was magical. It was lovely and the atmosphere was just immense. We had a magician, who I was amazed by.

Tell us a little bit about your outfits on the day

Ellis: I went with my best man and groomsmen to look at suits. We had no idea what we wanted, but it all went to plan and we found the perfect ones. We chose a navy blue suit with blush pink ties.

Tiffany: Getting married is something that I had been thinking about since I was a little girl. I always wondered what my wedding dress would look like. When Ellis asked me to marry him, one of the first things I started to do was look at dresses! I love glitter and sparkles and I’m a real girly girl, so I had a rough idea what I wanted. I found my ideal dress before I even tried any on. My mum’s friend is the manager of a bridal shop in Frodsham and she helped me so much. I found the exact dress in the shop and it was the first dress I clapped eyes on - it was meant to be! I knew it was for me as it just sparkled. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

The wedding party

Did you go on honeymoon?

Tiffany: I’m petrified of flying, so abroad is off the cards at the moment until I find some courage to go on a plane. But we are moving to our new home in a couple of weeks so our honeymoon can be in our new home. We’d love to go somewhere warm and just enjoy married life.

Why did you want to get married?

Ellis: We both love comedy shows, we share a lot of personality traits and are very caring people. We want the best for each other and love each other so much. I wanted to get married because I want to spend the rest of my life with Tiff and build a family. We get on so well and care about each other’s happiness. I want to spend all our time together making memories.

Tiffany: For me it was love at first sight with Ellis. I knew he was the one. We have a lot in common but we also have as many differences, which is why we work so well together. We both love spending time with our doggie, Bailey. I love keeping the house nice and tidy whereas Ellis likes making it untidy - but that’s what love is all about. I wanted to get married because I feel it brings two people together. We said our vows to each other and I know that we both meant every word.

Tiffany and Ellis tied the knot surrounded by family and friends

Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your day or your relationship?

Ellis: It was one of the best days of my life and I loved every minute. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together and I’m so proud to call Tiff my wife!

Tiffany: I think I have married my best friend and my soul mate. My love for Ellis grows every day and I am the luckiest girl in the world to be his wife.

Philip Antrobus Photography

If you would like to appear in Our Wedding Day feature, email heidi.summerfield@newsquest.co.uk

The new Mr and Mrs Phythian