Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has tied the knot with her partner of ten years, Ben Jones, in a star-studded ceremony in south Wales. Amy, 31, who joined the BBC dance competition show five years ago, and fellow professional dancer Ben had planned on getting married in July 2020 but their wedding was put on hold, twice, when the pandemic hit.
However, on Saturday, July 2, Amy finally said 'I do' in a gorgeous ceremony in the Gower,, details of which have been revealed in this week's Hello! magazine. Speaking to the magazine, she said: "It was a day I'd dreamt of since I was a little girl and, well, it was even more than that. I felt like a Disney princess."
Read more:
- Who is Amy Dowden's fiancé? Everything we know about Benjamin Jones
- Suranne Jones issues long statement as her show is cancelled
The gushing groom said: "Amy always looks stunning so it was no different to normal." Amy, who hails from Caerphilly, said previously she "always knew" she wanted to get married in Wales and chose to stick to her Welsh roots for most of the wedding. Lifting the lid on their romantic ceremony, Amy told Hello! Magazine: "It was a stunning venue. I always knew I wanted to get married in Wales."
For her beautiful bridal gown, she chose a dress from Laura May in Cardiff and opted for Wales-based florist Jan Lima for the flowers - read more about this here.
With a glorious Welsh backdrop, a glittering guestlist and even a musical performance from famous pal Tom Fletcher of successful British boyband McFly, it seems to have turned out to be the perfect day. Amy's new husband, Ben, said to Hello!: "Amy looked beautiful... and having a member of McFly singing at our wedding was obviously a highlight."
Explaining the thought process behind Tom (with whom Amy was partnered on Strictly last year) performing the McFly hit All About You during the ceremony, she said: "I originally asked Tom to sing as I walked up the aisle, but he told me he always cries at weddings, so I wanted to let him enjoy the ceremony."
Amy, who also recently joined Tom's wife Giovanna on a charity trek in Wales for breast cancer awareness organisation Coppafeel, added: "I talked so much wedding talk with him last year, so it's nice that he's part of this special moment."
Alongside pop prince Tom, it seems a galaxy of Strictly stars were privy to Amy and Ben's special nuptials, including fellow dance professional and close friend Dianne Buswell, who was one of Amy's bridesmaids.
Former Strictly performers Janette Manrara and Aljaz Skorjanec were also in attendance alongside 2021 contestant Sara Davies, professional Katya Jones, Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood and a number of Amy's past celebrity dance partners from the show - JJ Chalmers, Colin Jackson and Brian Conley.
Posting a stunning image of the newlywed couple on their special day to her Instagram, the 31-year-old bride wrote: "Nearly 11 years ago our journey together started as dance partners, soon fell in love and finally 02.07.2022 we become husband and wife."
The pair got engaged on New Year's Eve in 2017 after Ben popped the question during an event at the dance academy they run together, Art in Motion. At the time, Amy posted a video that had been taken of the moment she said: 'Yes', with the caption: "Hello 2018".
Yet, despite performing in front of large audiences on a regular basis, the Welsh dancer revealed one thing she was particularly nervous about on their big day: "I dance in front of millions but I was nervous to walk down the aisle."
And while the motion of walking down the aisle caused her nerves, Amy revealed the newlyweds felt no pressure when it came to their first dance: "We're used to dancing on stage but this felt easy," said Ben. Amy added: "We didn't choreograph anything because we knew it would become work... Imagine a chef cooking on her wedding day!"
She also confirmed to Hello! that while she plans on officially becoming Mrs Dowden-Jones, she'll keep Dowden as her stage name: "I wanted to go with Dowden-Jones because if we're lucky enough to have a family in the future, I'd love to have the same name as my children."
The full interview with Amy Dowden is available in this week's Hello! magazine on newsstands now.
READ NEXT:
- Amy Dowden shares a behind-the-scenes look at her new TV show away from Strictly
- Wedding saved after venue burns down on morning of ceremony thanks to incredible acts of generosity and kindness
- Couple get matching tattoos of the exact location they first met
- Boris and Carrie Johnson's wedding party moved from Chequers
- Your one-stop guide to planning your perfect wedding day in Wales
