Celebrating in style last week, TOWIE's Sam Faiers and her long-term partner, Paul Knightley, flew out to Italy to attend her close friend Sharon Canu’s wedding to ex-footballer Ashley Cole.
Sharing a series of snaps and a video clip from the day, Sam looked gorgeous in an Italian-style floral dress for the pre-wedding dinner, before opting for a hot-pink feathered number and pink heels for model Sharon’s big day.
Set within the grounds of the gorgeous Hotel La Vecchia Posta, near Rome, the wedding weekend kicked off with a traditional Italian feast of wood-fired pizzas, pasta and free-flowing Prosecco, before guests enjoyed a gorgeous cliff-side ceremony at sunset, where they later watched a fireworks display and were treated to a lavish meal.
And taking a moment away from the crowds, Sam, 32, and Paul, 35, who share children Paul, seven, Rosie, five, and one-year-old Edward, were clearly enjoying their rare weekend without their brood – looking happy and relaxed together as they posed for a romantic picture.
Sam’s followers were quick to comment on her post, with one writing, “PAUL…please put a ring on her finger”, while another added, “Sam, your day will come and you look stunning. Paul, pull your finger out and marry your beautiful partner”.
And a source says Sam – who met Paul in 2014, the same year Sharon began dating Ashley – is desperately hoping for her own fairy-tale day soon.
The insider says, “Sharon and Ashley’s wedding was everything Sam has dreamed of for herself. She got so emotional watching them tie the knot in front of all their friends and family.
“She hasn’t known them that long, but they’ve become like her Surrey family since she uprooted from Essex, and she and Paul felt honoured to be part of their big wedding weekend.
“It really got Sam thinking about what kind of wedding day she sees for herself and Paul in the future and she says it would be something very similar. She laughed that she’d really have to pull out the stops to outdo it though as it was such a perfect day, and that she hopes her own dream wedding isn’t over. She hopes Paul gets on with it.”
After meeting in an Essex bar shortly after her split from former TOWIE co-star Joey Essex, Sam and Paul’s relationship came under the spotlight when they launched their own show, Sam Faiers: The Baby Diaries, in 2016, allowing viewers to watch as the pair navigated their first journey into parenthood.
Paul came under fire immediately for criticising Sam’s cooking, taking a nap while she was in labour with Paul Jr and, most memorably, kissing his own mum on the lips. But despite the backlash, Sam stood by him and the couple went on to welcome Rosie two years later in 2017, followed by their second son, Edward, last year.
During a 2020 episode of The Mummy Diaries, Sam hinted that she hoped for a proposal from Paul during a trip to Venice for their fifth anniversary.
Sam – who has said she’d love a hen do in Las Vegas – discussed her dream wedding with friends, telling them, “As soon as I’m engaged, I want to be married within the year. I want it to be really small, I want it with my best friends and family. Billie and Greg had 100 people in the Maldives… that is epic.”
But now the source says that while Sam – who previously tricked Paul into thinking she was about to propose during a Dubai holiday in 2018 – loved watching her sister wed in a beachfront ceremony, the mum-of-three is hoping for a more traditional affair, where their children will be centre stage.
“Seeing Ashley and Sharon’s kids at the wedding has made Sam realise she’s glad she and Paul have waited so that their kids can be at their wedding,” the insider says.
“And as much as she loved Billie’s Maldives wedding, she felt Ashley and Sharon’s was much more her style. It was less full-on and just a weekend rather than a week of partying. Sam couldn’t handle that now. She lives a more relaxed lifestyle since moving to Surrey, and her friends have given her a new perspective.”
Now, it’s back to reality for the couple after returning to their home, but the source says an “emotional” Sam is hoping Paul may be feeling the same way about tying the knot.
The source adds, “It was a very emotional weekend for Sam and she knows the pressure is now on for her and Paul to get married. She doesn’t want to rush things and knows Paul will do things at his own pace, but she doesn’t want the kids to get too big, so she really feels it has to happen soon. She has everything planned – she just needs Paul to propose!”