IPSWICH: It's head to head for an Ipswich couple today - as they tie the knot on the most romantic weekend of the year.

Lizzie Parry

IPSWICH: It's head to head for an Ipswich couple today - as they tie the knot on the most romantic weekend of the year.

The happy couple, who live in Cemetery Road, are both headteachers at Suffolk primary schools.

Steve Wood, head at Clifford Road Primary, was due to be waiting for his bride, Sarah Rogers, head at Waldringfield Primary, at the end of the aisle at St Margaret's Church at 3pm today.

The couple, who first met when they were teaching at St John's Primary School, lost contact after moving on to new jobs.

But five years ago their paths crossed once more, when Sarah was deputy head at Melton Primary and Steve, 40, was headteacher at Earl Soham.

The soon-to-be Mrs Wood said she has enjoyed the anticipation and build up to her purple-themed big day, admitting getting married on such a romantic weekend was a lovely start to married life.

Sarah, who grew up in Ipswich, said: “We are limited to school holidays and thought it would be nice to get married in February, an excuse to get people together after Christmas.

“We are very family orientated people and we are dedicating our day to our families, it is why we wanted to get married in the first place, to bring everyone together.

“It just so happened that it fell on Valentine's weekend.”

The 33-year-old said she and her husband-to-be were walking along Regents Street in London just before Christmas a year ago when they decided on the spur of the moment to buy an engagement ring.

But they managed to keep their impending engagement a secret until Christmas Day 2008 when Steve officially popped the question.

Sarah, a former Copleston High School student, added: “The ring was in my wardrobe and I hadn't put it on until Christmas Day.

“We wanted to wait to be with our families - Steve has two sons and we wanted them to be a part

of it, to give them all a nice present.”

And surrounded by their 230 guests, the newlyweds will share their first dance at their reception at Greshams, featuring live music by a band of teachers from Clifford Road Primary.

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