Married at First Sight: The most unusual weddings and marriage proposals in Sheffield

As viewers follow the fate of Richie Dews and his new bride Lara on the E4 show, we look at some of the most unusual weddings and marriage proposals in Sheffield over the years – from the man who burnt down his flat trying to propose, to another romantic who popped the question on stage in front of a 1,000-strong audience.

Steelers fans proposal and wedding reception

Just last weekend, diehard Sheffield Steelers fans Emily and Joshua Hurst, from Woodhouse, got hitched and six hours later were at Sheffield Arena for the clash with Coventry Blaze.

Steelers fans are obviously a romantic lot, as last year Jack Holmes proposed to his girlfriend Emma Britton on the ice at Sheffield Arena after plotting the surprise with the club and Emma’s favourite player Robert Dowd. She said yes, of course.

Hapless romantic burnt down Sheffield flat trying to propose

Spare a thought for Albert Ndreu who spent two weeks planning the perfect proposal to his partner, only for it to go spectacularly wrong.

The 26-year-old spelled out 'Marry Me?' using candles which ended up burning down their flat.

Marriage: 9 wedding venues in and around Sheffield and the Peak District near stunning locations for pictures

Undeterred by the disaster, Albert still got down on one knee and asked Valerija if she would marry him, and with sirens wailing in the distance, she said the all-important 'yes'.

“It didn’t go exactly as I thought it would but she said yes, so I think the day took an unexpected turn but ended up exactly how I wanted it to,” he said.

Banner flown over castle in ultimate romantic gesture

South Yorkshire lovebird Daniel Bamford pulled out all the stops to propose in style to Rebecca MacDonald earlier this year.

He hired a plane to fly a banner over Conisbrough Castle where they were out for a family gathering – taking her completely by surprise.

He got down on one knee to pop the question to Rebecca, with their two young children looking on, and she said ‘yes’.

Big screen proposal at Cineworld Sheffield

Craig Mallinson picked the perfect way to propose to his film fan girlfriend Jessica Cupitt.

She thought he was taking her to see the new summer blockbuster, Hercules, back in 2014, but what came on the screen first was a short film he had made asking her to marry him.

Luckily there was a happy ending, as Craig got the answer he’d been hoping for.

Gavin & Stacey-themed wedding

Claire and Will Baggaley, who live just outside Sheffield in the Derbyshire village of Mastin Moor, are both huge Gavin & Stacey fans.

So what better place to tie the knot than in Barry, where the hit BBC comedy was filmed?

Their wedding in July this year featured music from the sitcom and quotes from the show in place of table numbers, and was followed by a tour of filming locations, including Marco’s Cafe.

The happy day ended in relaxed style with ice creams, fish and chips, and football on the beach.

On-stage proposal during Dirty Dancing tour

It wasn’t just Nicole Harris who got a shock when David Schofield popped the question to her, but more than 1,000 audience members who had just watched Dirty Dancing at Sheffield’s Lyceum Theatre.

David captured not only the magical moment in 2018 but the elaborate planning which led up to it in a moving video which he shared on YouTube.

The couple were called up on to stage under the pretence their seat numbers had come up in a competition, before David proposed in front of the cast members, to cheers from the audience.

“She was physically shaking and I was concerned but it was an overwhelming moment, and I was so happy when she nodded her head, said yes and everyone cheered,” he said.

Tragic story behind famous ‘Will U Marry Me’ graffiti

Probably the most famous marriage proposal in Sheffield is the one emblazoned in huge letters across a bridge at the Park Hill flats, reading ‘I Love You Will U Marry Me’.

But the story behind the iconic graffiti artwork sadly does not have a happy ending.

A man called Jason wrote the message in April 2001, despite being scared of heights. He told his girlfriend Claire he was taking her to see a film and when they got close he told her to look up.

“She said 'yeh'. She thought I was mad,” he told the Guardian in 2016, but the pair never tied the knot, splitting up three months later.

Claire did get married in the end, but to someone else, before tragically dying of cancer.

The graffiti was immortalised in neon in 2011 and became part of the remarkable transformation of Park Hill.