Meet the couples getting married on the same day as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

While the nation is talking about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s new baby son, we are getting excited about the royal wedding and that is because Hand Picked Hotels will be hosting seven other couples who will be sharing their wedding day with the biggest nuptials of the year. 

The event will no doubt dominate media coverage and social media feeds, however for a certain group of people who booked May 19 for their own wedding that will not be the case. But how exactly do these couples feel? We asked a few of the brides:

Caroline marrying Robert at Fawsley Hall Hotel & Spa

“We got engaged on December 12th 2016 which was our five year anniversary and decided on a May date, hoping for nice weather. When we heard that it clashed with the royal wedding, we actually felt a little disappointed, it also means we can't watch the proceedings. Rob made a bad decision on choosing this date as a Chelsea fan too – he did not think about it being the FA cup final day! “We have no plans to tie our celebrations in with the royal wedding but we did think about walking into the wedding breakfast wearing a Harry and Megan face mask!”

Kathryn marrying David at Crathorne Hall Hotel 

“We got engaged at Chester Zoo on March 24th 2016, David presented me with a balloon which said will you marry me and got down on one knee in front of the elephants. We changed our mind a few times on the date for our wedding, so May 19 was not chosen deliberately, although when the Royal Wedding was announced I posted a picture on Instagram to tell all my friends that they stole our date and we did not copy theirs!"

Kerrie marrying Lee at Buxted Park Hotel 

“On December 27th 2014, Lee took me on a surprise trip to Paris and at the top of the Eiffel tower he finally managed to pluck up the courage to propose. It was amazing. We really wanted a spring wedding, and there was only two Saturdays available for May 2018, one being the nineteenth. When I first heard that Prince Harry and Meghan had announced the same day, I instantly thought that we would not have our guest’s attention – I turned into Bridezilla! Not only did we have the royal wedding to contend with but also the FA cup final! All I could do was laugh. It felt like our day had been stolen from us, but after calming down I was then super excited. I have a big interest in the royal family and I love the idea that we will now always have a connection with them. We also have a couple of things up our sleeve to tie our special day in with the royal wedding, so that it will really be a day to remember.”

Joanna marrying Steve at Brandshatch Place Hotel & Spa 

“We got engaged 14 years ago but just never got around to planning our wedding, we had our son in 2007 who has special needs and life just took over. Steve then proposed to me again in Malta two years ago with the intention that we get married before the end of 2018. Our anniversary of when we started dating is May 15, so we chose the weekend of that week which fell on the nineteenth, that way we can celebrate both at once. We were very excited when we heard the royal wedding was on the same day as ours, as it made it feel even more special.”

Leanne marrying Sam at Nutfield Priory Hotel & Spa

“We got engaged at Disneyland Paris on July 31st 2016. We were on the way back from our first trip to the park and as Sam got down on one knee by the Disney lake, his son Oscar asked if I would marry him and his daddy. It was very sweet and I was not expecting it at all. We wanted a spring wedding and a Saturday. Sam called me as soon as he heard the news and I was so excited - I love telling everyone that we are getting married on the same day as Prince Harry and Megan. As the world counts down the days to the royal occasion, in a way we feel a part of it. We are including a little surprise to tie in with it but that is a secret for now.”