The key facts

  • Dave proposed to Dawn live on Love Songs with Michael Ball in the summer of 2026, keeping the preparations secret from his bride
  • The wedding took place at Weston Hall, where Dave first proposed in the late 1990s
  • Ball appeared at the ceremony without warning and performed Love Changes Everything

A surprise at the ceremony at Weston Hall

A couple from Cannock — Dave and Dawn Lloyd — got married at the Weston Hall estate in Stafford, and singer and BBC Radio 2 presenter Michael Ball unexpectedly appeared at the ceremony on Sunday, performing Love Changes Everything. This was reported by BBC News. Dawn said she had 'no idea at all' that this would happen and was 'blown away': according to her, Dave surprised her 'for the second time' — first with the proposal, now with the wedding.

How the proposal was prepared

In the summer, Dave, Dawn's partner of more than 25 years (they have been together for 31 years, according to the same publication), secretly teamed up with Ball to stage a proposal on air during the programme Love Songs with Michael Ball. Dawn, thinking she was taking part in a tour of the BBC, ended up in the studio, where Ball pretended to be recording voiceover scripts, after which Dave read out a love letter and proposed. During the broadcast, Dave said he had already booked the wedding at Weston Hall for a date close to 11 November — the anniversary of their first date. Ball later said the story was 'so touching' that 'we decided to see it through to the end'.

The place where it all began

Weston Hall holds special significance for the couple: it was there that Dave first proposed in the late 1990s. Back then, 19-year-old Dawn laughed out of nervousness, and the engagement ring was later lost, so the engagement never happened. More than a quarter of a century later, the couple, who have three children, finally got married in the same place. Dave said he was grateful to Ball 'for what he did for us as a couple and for all our family and friends'.

A wedding photograph showing three people standing together in an elegant indoor venue. The person in the centre wears a dark blue suit and holds a bouquet of white flowers. On the left, another person wears a black suit with a grey waistcoat and bow tie. On the right, a person wears a strapless white wedding dress and glasses, with one hand resting on the centre person's arm.
Image caption,

Michael Ball attended Dave and Dawn Lloyd's wedding ceremony on Sunday

A person in a white wedding dress embraces a person in a blue suit during a wedding ceremony in a historic venue with tall leaded-glass windows and blue curtains. Guests seated on either side applaud while watching the embrace. Behind them, a videographer records the moment using a professional camera with an attached microphone and bright light. Floral arrangements are visible in the foreground, and the room features stone window surrounds and elegant décor.
Image caption,

Dawn said she was 'blown away' by the wedding day surprise

A blonde woman in an off-the-shoulder wedding dress holding a bunch of pink and cream roses and purple flowers, with her face angled towards a man in a black shirt propped on a pillow on a bed. He is looking to his right back at her. He has a cream flower in his lapel. He is wearing glasses and has a dark beard. The pair are in a room with pink walls and glazing behind them.Kelly and Rob are standing next to each other wearing black t-shirts that say 'dance floor heroes 2025'. Kelly is holding onto a trophy shaped like a disco ball. Rob is trying to wrestle it off herMr and Mrs Robertshaw