A COUPLE who met online have tied the knot in an intimate ceremony with just ten members of their closest friends and family.

Nicola Jones, 29, a communications manager, and James Burnstone, 31, a CEO of a digital health company, first crossed paths five years ago on a popular online dating website.

The pair were talking for a month before their date where sparks immediately flew.

The now Mrs Burnstone said: "We both had very similar interests, we're both quiet ambitious and work hard towards things.

"James is also very funny and made me laugh straight away.

"There was no awkwardness whatsoever."

The couple 'knew it was serious' very early on, with the pair moving in together after just three months.

Three years later, Mr Burstone took a trip to New York where Mrs Burnstone had a slight suspicious he was purchasing a ring.

"I'd jokingly said why don't you swing by Tiffany's whilst you're out there," she said.

"But when he got back, he took me on a really romantic picnic with a huge basket of champagne and some of my favourite things.

"Then he did a big speech, pulled out a box and proposed.

"I was kind of expecting it because we'd moved in together and it was heading that direction."

The happy couple tied the knot 18 months later in an intimate ceremony at the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House.

"We wanted a small wedding," said Mrs Burstone.

"It was a case of either inviting our closest friends and family or 100 plus people.

"We found the Gilpin which catered for smaller, more intimate weddings and it looked absolutely perfect."

The pair had their ceremony in the hotel's boat house, beside a rustic log fire.

"It was a really intimate affair - there was just ten people who attended but that's what we wanted."

Mrs Burnstone described the day as 'magical' and 'like a fairytale'.

"Although it was very stormy that day, it looked really dramatic in the pictures and made it feel more like a fairytale," she said.

"I look really windswept in all the photos but in a natural way."

After the ceremony, the couple and their wedding party enjoyed some board games and drinks in the hotel.

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds flew to Thailand for a luxury two-week vacation.

"It was absolutely amazing," said Mrs Burnstone.

"We wanted somewhere with a beach which was relaxing but also had some culture."

All photography featured in the article is by photographer Tiree Dawson.