Wedding bells after indecently opulent proposal

A romantic setting, candelabra, themed flowers and food, set up in a tent at a farm – and all the while his bride-to-be knew nothing about the plans.

All Christina Brough had been told was that Lee, who supplies luxury tents for weddings and other dos, was taking part in a photo shoot to promote his business and other suppliers.

What she didn’t realise was that she was going to be the main feature.

To her surprise, Lee went down on bended knee and asked for her hand in marriage.

Christina, 28, said: “It was lovely. I didn’t have a clue. I knew there was this wedding shoot going on but when I arrived I was a bit shocked to see all the suppliers.

“It was very sweet and thoughtful and everyone had put quite a lot of work into it.

“They had planned it as if it was photos for the website and then he started stuttering and mumbling and getting down on one knee. I was in shock.

“We got an engagement and an engagement party in one.”

The groom-to-be, who met his fiancée when they shared a house at Leeds Metropolitan University ten years ago, had bought a diamond ring in Dubai a couple of months previously.

Lee, 32, who works in business development for Welcome to Yorkshire, set up his business called Glampit, which supplies furnished bell tents for weddings and other functions, around a year ago.

He said: “Everyone kept asking when we were going to get married. I always wanted to make it special and I knew it was going to take some planning.

“This was the only weekend when we have a break till October.”

The event was put together by wedding planner Charlotte Miller, from Eden & Eve.

Originally the idea was to have the couple sit down at a table for two under the trees at High Austby Farm at Ilkley where Christina keeps a horse. But it was too windy so they had to move inside one of the tents.

When it came to popping the question, Lee said: “They put everything in the tent – it looked incredible.

“We’d just got ourselves sat down and the photographer was about to get some pictures. Charlotte stepped out and the photographer started snapping.

“I just turned round to Chris and said: ‘I’ve got you here under false pretences, explained I loved her and said: ‘Christina Louise Brough, will you marry me?’

“I think that’s why I rushed it because I could feel a tear coming in my eye.”

Friends and family had been put on standby and started turning up throughout the afternoon, bringing food to cook on fire pits.

Lee said: “There was plenty of champagne. It was brilliant.”

Lee used the online content sharing service Pinterest, which allows members to “pin” images, videos and other objects to their pinboard, to build up a mood board with ideas for the engagement, which was centred round a Moroccan theme, using vibrant silk cushions, brightly-coloured flowers, a couple of gold candelabra and even miniature gold horses.

Ms Miller said: “Lee wanted to do a surprise proposal for Christina and utilise his contacts within the wedding industry.

“He called me at short notice to see if I could plan it, which I said I was happy to do. We had a free rein on the styling and decided to use a lot of Moroccan-inspired cushions and decor.”

She said people were still prepared to spend huge amounts to get the wedding of their dreams despite the recession.

“Just last week I had a consultation with a bride and groom in York who had a budget of £50,000 to £70,000. North Yorkshire is still a very wealthy part of the country and there are people who will have quite lavish weddings. We are seeing a bit of a trend for outdoor weddings, because people are stepping away from the hotel one-in, one-out wedding.

“Planning a proposal is a first for us – but we expect to see it increase.”

The other suppliers included wedding caterers Eatme- Drinkme, florists Leafy Couture and photographers Belle and Beau.

After the lengths Lee, from High Royds, Menston, has gone to with the proposal it’s no surprise the couple may have to wait a while for their even bigger day.

He added: “It’s taken me ten years to get to this point – give me a couple of years.”

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