Dan Knott, 28, and Mike Brigham, 26, met at the Nightingale Club in Birmingham, UK. After noticing each other for several nights, Dan finally turned to Mike and started "taking the Mickey out of him," (that "teasing' for us Americans.) The next day they went for a drink and became inseparable. In September, they cemented that bond with a civil partnership.
"I don't think either of us ever imagined getting married," Dan says. "But it has never felt like a bad decision. We can't imagine being with anyone else." Mike proposed in Lyme Regis on the south coast of England -- the town where he grew up. He walked Dan along a cliff edge to a bench overlooking the coast, a spot Mike visited often as a boy. Then he got down on one knee and proposed. Dan didn't hesitate to say yes.
The ceremony was held at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, a venue boasting Victorian greenhouses and an arboretum. Over 200 people, ranging from friends, family, work colleagues, as well as soldiers from Michael's Army regiment, witnessed the ceremony. "The vows were simple and clear," Dan says. "We vowed to always support and love each other and always treat each other with respect."
The newlyweds honeymooned in New York City. They arrived to warm weather and the approach of Hurricane Irene, enjoying a "spectacular two weeks of sun, hurricanes and an earthquake." Days after their return, Mike flew to Afghanistan, where he'll be serving on the front lines for six months.
While Mike is away the couple stays in touch writing letters, and occasionally get a five-minute phone call. "The crucial thing is to make sure you keep busy and keep in touch as much as you can," Dan says. And while they're both keeping very busy, we're sure these two can't wait for Mike's homecoming.
Click here to see photos from their wedding.
