Lucky couple win dream wedding in heart of Suffolk thanks to council competition

Winners of Suffolk wedding competition, Bury St Edmunds. Louise Orford and Adam Wood.

Cambridgeshire residents Louise Orford, 30 and Adam Wood, 33, won a competition at a wedding fair and will now have their ceremony performed for free by a Suffolk County Council registrar.

The pair, who live in Soham, said they could not think of a better place to get married than in the heart of Suffolk – a county they described as “stunning” and “beautiful”.

They will tie the knot at a secret location this summer in front of family and friends.

Miss Orford said: “I was so shocked to win the competition, I never win these things.

“We chose Suffolk because it is just the perfect place to get married in. It’s so peaceful and that’s something both me and Adam love, when we go for walks we feel at peace with the world which is how Suffolk makes us feel.

“It’s a stunning and beautiful county which is why we looked no further than Suffolk.”

The couple originally met at primary school – but they were far from childhood sweethearts, said Miss Orford.

“We lived in the same area and went to the same school but I can’t say we spoke to each other much then,” she said.

“It was only when we got older that we met up and the rest is history basically as cheesy as that might sound.

“We both are so happy to have won this prize because it can be very expensive to pay for a wedding so having this discount will really help us.

She added: “We can’t wait to get married and there’s no better place to do it than in Suffolk.”

The 30-year-old also said that if it was not for her maid of honour Rachel Stacey, she would not have entered the competition in the first place.

“I’m never this lucky but she persuaded me to enter and I’m so glad she did,” she said. “I’d like to thank her for that because I don’t think we’d have been able to easily afford our dream ceremony without it so it’s a great help.”

For more information, visit www.suffolk.gov.uk/marry