Louise and James celebrate their wedding www.steventaylorphotography.co.uk

YOU cannot predict when true love will strike – Louise Hattersley was seeing someone else when she met James Prettyman eight years ago.

“We liked each other immediately,” says Louise, 29, who works in HR. “So I dumped my boyfriend and haven’t looked back!”

The Leyton-based pair went to the University of Hull, and although they had seen each other on campus, they hadn’t spoken properly. Louise went to study in Italy for a year with Bruce, a friend who also knew James.

“I went to Italy in 2001 and that’s when we first properly met,” says James, 29, a business modelling consultant.

“But our first proper date wasn’t until Louise moved back to England.”

And what a first date – as Louise lived in the Lake District and James lived in Tamworth, they spent a romantic weekend in the Peak District. “It was quite an intense start to our relationship,” says Louise. “But that’s when we knew it would either work or it wouldn’t. He’d organised the whole thing and it was fantastic.”

The proposal came in December 2007. James whisked Louise off to Seville for her birthday and, on the hotel rooftop, presented her with his great-grandmother’s ring. Louise says: “I was blown away.”

The only must-have for the bride was that the wedding took place in her home district, so they chose the Merewood Country House Hotel by Lake Windermere. They hired it for the weekend and invited 70 guests to the ceremony and meal, and a further 30 to the party.

The bride walked in to a friend playing Isn’t She Lovely by Stevie Wonder and, after the ceremony, they left to I Believe In A Thing Called Love by The Darkness. Best man Pat wrote a song for James and played it on guitar.

After a dinner of smoked salmon and belly of pork, the couple performed a salsa number. “We take salsa lessons,” says Louise. “But I started panicking. James was sweet and guided me.

“We were the last ones up, having so much fun, but were gutted the weather was blustery. It didn’t matter, it was such a wonderful day we wouldn’t change a thing.”

WEDDING ESSENTIALS

FIRST DATE: Weekend in the Peak District

GET THE LOOK: Louise wore Maggie Sottero, James a suit from A Suit That Fits

FLOWERS: Roses

SWEET TREAT: 3-tier chocolate cake

FIRST DANCE: Salsa song

MUSIC: Wedding band Hitched

PHOTOGRAPHER: www.steventaylorphotography.co.uk

HONEYMOON: Galapagos Islands and Ecuador