Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan: Their love story in pictures

May 23, 2016May 23, 2016, 4:31 PM GMT+1

A chance meeting, a whirlwind romance and the celebrity wedding of the year. As they approach their first anniversary as husband and wife, take a look back at Mark Wright and Michelle Keegan's love story...

Mark and Michelle met while on separate holidays in Dubai at the end of 2012. It was rumoured they spent New Year's Eve together, seeing in 2013 with a kiss.

He later told HELLO! Magazine: "It didn't take me long to realise that Michelle is everything I wanted."

They confirmed their relationship with an appearance at the 2013 National Television Awards a month later, and a showbiz power couple was born.

In September that year, Mark got down on one knee during a holiday in Dubai – where their love story started.

Discussing the magical moment, Michelle told HELLO! Magazine: "I thought he was joking at first, and then he said come here. I started crying, and said yes, and then he started welling up as well.

"Then as we walked further down the beach I saw a table set up with lanterns and petals, and with two glasses of champagne."

Shortly after their engagement, Mark told the Mirror: "I've got now, for the first time in my life, what I've always wanted and what every boy dreams of – affection in a relationship, love, best friend, a girl I fancy… everything rolled into one."

Mark's parents were quick to welcome Michelle into the family, and they spent their first Christmas together with the Wrights in Essex. Mark Sr. shared a cute snap of the loved-up couple by the Christmas tree.

What's the next step after getting engaged to the woman of your dreams? In February 2014 Mark appeared on ITV's This Morning to confirm he and Michelle were planning on living together. Michelle took the plunge in July 2014 and relocated from her native Newcastle to move into Mark's Essex home.

Towards the end of the year, Mark and Michelle were kept apart by their hectic schedules. While he took part in BBC's Strictly Come Dancing, Michelle was busy filming drama Ordinary Lies. But Mark insisted they wouldn't fall victim to the rumoured Strictly curse, telling Reveal: "Our relationship is so special, nothing can break us."

For their New Year's Eve celebrations, Mark and Michelle returned to their special place: Dubai. Two years after meeting there, the couple spent a very romantic evening together ahead of what was to be a very busy year for them.

When asked about their wedding plans, Mark later told HELLO! Magazine: "I think being a guy, with a wedding you can't really win because if you get involved you're told your ideas are wrong, and if you don't get involved you're told you don't care."

Just months before the showbiz wedding of the year, Mark and Michelle jetted off to Caribbean island St Vincent & Grenadine for some loved-up fun in paradise.

For her hen party, Michelle went to, you guessed it, Dubai! She and 30 hens, including Jessica Wright and Brooke Vincent, jetted to the plush Grosvenor Hotel.

Michelle opened up to HELLO! Magazine about her hen party, revealing she recreated the moment Mark proposed.

She said: "I did go back to the exact same spot on the beach with some of the girls. I did a re-run of what happened and I showed them where Mark was when he proposed to me. It was nice for them to see it."

Mark and his stags, including best pal James 'Arg' Argent and cousin Elliott Wright, headed to Las Vegas for five days of partying before he said 'I do'.

In May 2015, Mark and Michelle tied the knot at St Mary's Church in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, and their reception took place at nearby Tudor mansion Hengrave Hall. 200 guests were in attendance – including HELLO! Magazine.

Following the lavish wedding, Mark and Michelle moved into their "dream home" in Essex. Discussing the property, Michelle said: "We were driving past this house, and as soon as we walked in we knew. It's a new build, it's my dream home."

A few weeks later, Mr and Mrs Wright finally flew off on their honeymoon. They split their time between the Maldives and, of course, Dubai. Michelle later opened up to HELLO! Online about the trip, insisting it was "wonderful".

In January 2016, Michelle landed a part in BBC drama Our Girl. Despite the career high, it meant leaving Mark for three months to film in South Africa. Ahead of her trip, she told Reveal: "It's definitely going to be difficult, but it's my job."

Of course Mark couldn't go three months without seeing his beautiful wife! In April, he jetted to Cape Town for a romantic reunion with Michelle.

With their one-year wedding anniversary fast approaching, we can't wait to see what Mark and Michelle have planned. He recently told HELLO! Magazine: "There'll definitely be something special that we get up to."

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