RINGWOOD HALL HOTEL, 28th November 2025
Chesterfield couple Rosie and Sam said their ‘I Do’s’, with a few surprises thrown in!
After a chance meeting at their workplace back in 2014, an instant spark brought this happy couple together.
‘Rosie walked and I just went WOW!’, Sam says. The relationship blossomed quickly and the pair had an instant connection. ‘We actually got told off for sending too many work emails to each other’, Sam says.
The Engagement
On a random Sunday in 2021 Sam took Rosie to the location where they’d had their first date; the Druids inn, Birchover, in the Peak District.
‘There’s a rock viewpoint there overlooking the valley’, Rosie says. The couple arrived early and wandered up to the viewpoint; ‘We stood there and there was this drone flying towards us, I wondered what on earth was going on but Sam just told me to wave at it’, Rosie says.
Then Sam got down on one knee and popped the question to Rosie; of course she said yes and five minutes later, the drone operator, Sam’s cousin Joe, clambered up the rocks to confirm he’d got the proposal on video.
After telling family and friends, the happy couple got straight into wedding planning.
A Pause
Planning soon had to hit pause as in July 2022, Rosie found out she was pregnant.
‘Two weeks before I found out I was pregnant, I’d actually been and got my wedding dress with my Nan’, Rosie says.
The wedding got put on the back burner while Sam and Rosie focused on their new arrival, little boy Ethan.
The Venue
The couple actually lived five minutes from Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa and had been multiple times for parties and events. ‘We initially wanted somewhere we hadn’t been before, but once we met cordinator Sian and had a look round, we could visualise it all working and were like let’s do it’, Rosie says.
‘Sian guided us through everything really well, she made sure nothing was missed and checked things we hadn’t even thought of, like making sure the table plans and names were all in order,’ Rosie says.
The planning ran super smoothly with Sam and Rosie having booked all their suppliers far in advance. ‘Wedding planning wise, we only really knuckled down in the last two months’, Rosie says.
The Wedding Day
Rosie stayed at home the night before to ensure she got a good night’s sleep before the big day. Sam and their son Ethan stayed at Sam’s mum house.
The night before the wedding, Rosie and her bridesmaids went to Ringwood Hall to set up for the wedding, doing their own decor.
Then it was a 5am wake up call to get through six lots of hair and makeup before the 12pm ceremony.
‘We had our own huge room to get ready in at Ringwood, with Bucks Fizz at breakfast and great vibes,’ Rosie says.
At 11am, Rosie did a first look in her wedding dress with her dad and brother. Then it was little boy Ethan’s turn; ‘ I didn’t know what Sam and Ethan were wearing as it was a surprise for me’, Rosie says. Sam’s mum brought Ethan in to have a first look with his mum and everyone melted at the sight of him in his tweed suit and braces
- a truly heartwarming moment.
All ready to go for the ceremony, Sam was waiting down the aisle when he heard a familiar voice come through the speakers.
It was Ethan with a special message for dad before his mum walked down the aisle. ‘I was determined to get Sam to cry’, Rosie says.
During the ceremony, the couple were
struck by another surprise when an owl flew down the aisle with their wedding rings.
Turns out Rosie’s Nan has booked a birds of prey display for the big finale!
Now newlyweds, the happy couple’s photographer ushered them into a room to have 10 minutes of alone time while he sorted guests for photos. ‘It was a moment of
“oh my god we’re actually married now”’, Rosie says.
Opting for bubbles instead of confetti, this added a unique touch to the wedding photos. Afromagic entertained guests during the photos and the wedding breakfast soon followed.
Tables were named after famous locations in Ibiza as Sam and Rosie love it there; featured names included Cafe Mambo and Amnesia.
A pianist played during the breakfast, followed by a DJ mash up from Sam’s sister, with five of the couple’s all time favourite songs.
The speeches followed and before they knew it, the evening reception had arrived, with DJ Gav (Sam’s friend) kicking off the party. Following the first dance, Rosie had her father daughter dance and remembers a favourite moment when the song ‘Defying Gravity’ came on. ‘All the groomsmen lifted me up and it felt like I was flying round the room while I was singing that song’,
Rosie says.
It was a wonderful day for the couple and they commented how full the dancefloor
was for the entire evening.
‘Sam kept telling me to come and stand on the edge of the dancefloor as he wanted me to just look at everyone, there were so many things happening’, Rosie says.
Even their son Ethan was still running round at 8pm enjoying himself!
The couple couldn’t commend the team at Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa enough, with a special mention to a few key members.
‘I haven’t got enough words for Sian,’ Rosie says. ‘I feel like she’s one of my best friends, she finished her shift and joined the party, she is unbelievable at her job; she’s so well organised and coordinated and always looks a million dollars. She really made that job her own. Anything we asked her was never too much and she always found a way around stuff to make it work for us’.
The couple also thank Joe the hotel manager and Lyndon, master of ceremonies. ‘Every time we needed something, Lyndon was there, he has a fabulous sense of humour’, Sam says.
The couple want others to make sure they enjoy the planning process; ‘Don’t stress too much as it will all come together. It’s true what they say; after it’s all over and done with, you do mourn your wedding, I can’t believe we’re never gonna get to do it again’, Rosie says.
Sam ended with, ‘If other couples are lucky enough, they will find someone like Sian to help them on their wedding day.’
After their wedding, the happy couple jetted off on their honeymoon to sunny Tenerife, a welcome surprise from Sam.
List of Suppliers
- Venue - Ringwood Hall Hotel
- Photographer - Ben Renshaw
- Wedding dress - Charlotte Elizabeth Bridal
- Wedding Rings - H Samuel
- Decor - Own
- Entertainment - Afromagic, Liam Hulmes Acoustic Guitarist, Nathan Peake Pianist
- Music - Gav Lyons
- Videographer - Ben Renshaw Photography and Love Chelsea Photography
- Mua - Make Up By Victoria
- Hair - Hair by Leah Rose
- Cake - Sam’s Sister and Brother in Law
- Flowers - Mum’s Best Friend