Leah and Andrew Taylor Jones believe they were always “destined to be”. In fact, their lives had crossed paths several times before they finally fell in love at first sight. Both of them have Down syndrome, are from Runcorn Cheshire, and they had been members of the same gym and attended the same gymnastics competition. But they hit it off at the Ella Performance Group. And last year, they married in a romantic Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding. Today, they share their story to encourage those who haven’t found their perfect match because love is “just around the corner.”
“As soon as I saw her, I knew that she was the one.”
Leah, 39, explained to The Mirror that she dreamed of a beautiful wedding for years. “When I was younger, I was a bit shy, but I had a dream to have the perfect big day to show how much I loved somebody in front of our families. When I met Andrew, I knew I liked him straight away, I said to one of my friends that he was a hottie and he was the one for me.
“The first time he asked me out I said no because I needed a chance to think about it but then when he asked me again I said yes. It’s the best feeling in the world meeting the love of your life, he’s my best friend and I want to grow old with him.” [1]
Andrew, 43, had proposed to Leah at a local restaurant on his 38th birthday. “I had been single for nine years and I was hoping that I would meet that special someone to settle down and spend the rest of my life with,” he said. He currently works as a store assistant at Asda. “As soon as I saw her I knew that she was the one. It was fate, I think we were destined to be with each other. I could tell I had almost let her get away from those near misses and I knew I had to reel her in.”
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“I would tell her ‘he’s just around the corner’”
When she was younger, Leah struggled with her self-esteem. So she decided to create an arts program to help boost the confidence of people with disabilities. This evolved until today, where she runs Positive You, a non-profit organization. But before she met Andrew, she felt like she might never meet her perfect match. She even thought about applying for the show The Undateables, which matches people who struggle to find love. Sue, Leah’s mom, explained, “Leah had always wanted to find that someone special even going as far as looking at contacting The Undateables and then Andrew just walked into the group that night.”
Sue had always encouraged Leah and reassured her she’d find the romantic relationship she wanted. “From the moment Leah was born, her dad and I took the attitude that she would have access to everything her brothers had, so having a relationship was exactly what we always wanted for her because she wanted it for herself.
“I had listened to Leah longing for a relationship for some time. There were a couple along the way but they didn’t work out. We always had a little saying and I would tell her ‘he’s just around the corner.’ When Leah and Andrew met it was brilliant because they got on so well.”
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Their Fairytale Wedding
Leah and Andrew had to postpone their wedding several times because of pandemic restrictions. Finally, they got to celebrate with 28 guests at All Saints Church in Daresbury. The Alice in Wonderland was extremely appropriate with Daresbury being Lewis Carroll’s hometown. Leah walked down the aisle to the song “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri, and the newlyweds left the church to Andrew’s favorite song, “Beautiful in White” by Westlife. But this year, they plan to celebrate their wedding again with over 100 guests for all of those who couldn’t come to the first ceremony because of the pandemic.
They shared their love story with the world to prove that there is a soulmate waiting for everyone. While dating can feel crushing at times, there will be a happy ending. “When I proposed to Leah there was nothing more I wanted in the world than for her to say yes,” said Andrew. “The best thing is to wait for the right person, they are only ever just around the corner.”
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