Amy Walsh is married! Inside ‘pure bliss’ wedding to Toby-Alexander Smith, soap star guests, surprise duet and emotional speechesA week after their wedding in the foothills of Montenegro’s towering mountains, Amy Walsh and Toby-Alexander Smith are still pinching themselves. Emmerdale actress Amy, 36, and her actor husband Toby, 32, are in a state of “pure bliss” as they chat to us over Zoom while on honeymoon in the beautiful Balkan country – with Amy’s mum Diane on hand to babysit their 20-month-old daughter Bonnie. “Moments for just the two of us are still few and far between,” says Amy, laughing. “But we’ll take whatever we can.” Their wedding day was all about the personal touches – from Amy wearing her late grandma’s ring, loaned to her by her Girls Aloud singer sister Kimberley, to a surprise duet in honour of the couple. Register for FREE to read this article in full. Just pop your email address below for free access to our exclusive magazine content as an OK! VIP.
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“It was honestly the most perfect day,” says Amy. “It surpassed all my expectations and more. I felt so surprisingly present on the day and loved every second. Now I’m just in pure bliss.” The couple’s ceremony, exclusively covered by OK!, was held at the Talici Hill Rustic Villas – a 17th-century property they fell in love with as they drank “two, maybe three bottles of red wine” while on a whirlwind 22-hour visit to check out the venue eight months ago. “There was a massive thunderstorm and I thought, ‘How can this place still look this beautiful in this weather?,’” Amy says. “We fell in love with the place.”
Amy and Toby fell in in love with Montenegro when they scoped the venue out in January
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
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Fast-forward to 30 August and, undeterred by flight cancellations, storms and health issues, 100 of their nearest and dearest flew out to celebrate their big day. For the couple, who met in the audience of Strictly Come Dancing in 2019 and got engaged in Ibiza last August, it wasn’t just a celebration of each other and their daughter, it was a celebration of everyone they hold dear. “Our family and friends are really important to us and we wanted everyone to have the best time,” Amy says. “They all made such an effort to come out there for us. Friends left their kids for the first time and spent their money getting there. We wanted it to be really special.” Despite another storm threatening the outdoor ceremony (a fact former EastEnders star Toby hid from Amy after “checking the local weather app like Sherlock Holmes”), the skies cleared as the guests – including Amy’s Emmerdale castmates Natalie Ann Jamieson, Olivia Bromley and Louisa Clein – took their seats next to the incredible sea views for the late afternoon ceremony.
Amy and Toby “fell in love” with their venue
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
Amy, who plays Tracy Metcalfe (now Robinson) in the soap, got ready with the help of her six-strong crew of bridesmaids – her sisters Sally and Kimberley, cousins Leonie and Joelle, and “best friends for life” Sarah and Kim. “I hadn’t thought about the ‘something old, new, borrowed and blue’, but luckily my bridesmaids had,” she tells us. “Sally gave me her garter from her wedding day and Kimberley gave me the ring she inherited from my grandma. She wears it every day and it epitomises my grandma. I wore it on my little finger so I had my grandma and grandad with me on the day, which was amazing.” Amy – who has already worn a few wedding dresses as Tracy – chose a ballgown-style, lace-and-tulle dress by American designer Enzoani, adorned with beaded floral motifs, which she teamed with a lace veil.
Amy had six beautiful bridesmaids – including sisters Kimberley and Sally
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
She kept her make-up and jewellery simple, with a classic pair of Chanel earrings (borrowed from Kimberley) and a pearl slide in her half-up half-down hairstyle, made by her friend and bridal accessory designer Lou Lou Puchalka. First to walk down the aisle was a contingent of eight pageboys, made up of Amy and Toby’s nephews, and their “brusher” (a term the couple invented for their part-bridesmaid, part-usher friend Lee). Toby – who played Albert Square’s Gray Atkins – wore a bespoke Richard George Tailoring suit and was accompanied by Bonnie, who wore a mini version of her mum’s dress made by Etsy seller Cutie Dress and matching Lou Lou Puchalka slides in her bunches, as a live pianist played classical music. “Everyone was so happy to be there and there was such an amazing energy,” Toby says. “I knew it was minutes until Amy was going to walk down the aisle. There was a moment where Lee said, ‘Right, from this point everyone look forward.’ I remember that feeling of looking out, with Bonnie in my arms, knowing that everyone was behind us. It was electric. Then I heard the music, Billy Joel’s She’s Got A Way, which we picked for Bonnie.” The track signalled it was time for Amy’s arrival.
Amy Walsh’s dad John walked her down the aisle to husband-to-be Toby-Alexander Smith
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
The actress – who made it to the Celebrity MasterChef finals broadcast last week – walked down the stone steps to the bottom of the aisle with her brother Adam and was led the rest of the way by her dad John, who has terminal cancer. “My dad isn’t very well and we weren’t sure until the 11th hour if he would be able to come,” says Amy, getting visibly upset. “My brother handed me over to my dad, who walked me down the last bit. He knows he only has a certain amount of time left, so it was important for him to be there. It’s a cancer you can’t cure, but you can live with it and he’s doing well fighting it.” Recalling the moment he turned to see Amy walking towards him, arm-in-arm with John, Toby says, “Amy’s dad was very emotional – it was a very poignant moment for me.”
Amy and Toby share daughter Bonnie, 20 months
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
Keeping their friends and family at the heart of the occasion, their ceremony was led by Rich, Amy’s friend from her student days. They wrote their own vows, with Toby telling Amy, “With you I’ve found my heart and my home.” “We were so connected in that moment,” he says. “We talked about supporting each other’s dreams and being there for each other through thick and thin.” Afterwards, Amy told Toby she “didn’t believe in marriage until I met you”, adding that she wouldn’t want anyone else by her and Bonnie’s side. They then exchanged rings – a gold band embedded with baguette-cut diamonds for Amy and a gold band for Toby – before being pronounced husband and wife. Then Amy got the biggest surprise of the day – a live performance by her favourite singer, Sonny Tennet.
Amy and Toby wrote their own emotional vows to each other
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
“Toby and I fell in love with Sonny within our first weeks of seeing each other,” she says of the young singer-songwriter from South Shields, who found fame on TikTok. “So we’d decided to play his songs as we walked back down the aisle together and for our first dance.” Laughing, Toby adds, “Amy didn’t know, but I’d asked him to come and play, so he’d been hiding in the bushes for 30 minutes! He started playing his song, Love Grows, and Amy thought it was coming from the speakers. Then, when I turned her around, she saw he was actually playing. It was very special.” It’s safe to say Amy was extremely impressed with her new husband’s meticulous planning.
Toby surprised bride Amy with her favourite singer – Sonny Tennet
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
“I’ve never been more shocked in my life,” she says. “I’m such a big fan and watch Sonny’s videos all the time. The thought that had gone into making it happen and the logistical nightmare I knew it would have been keeping it a secret – I couldn’t believe it.” The returning storm meant the couple had to just “go with the flow” when it came to the order of the rest of the day. After the ceremony they enjoyed their first dance to Sonny’s original song Calm Down, the song they’d listened to in the labour room just before Bonnie was born. But Toby had yet another surprise up his sleeve – a duet between Sonny and his former EastEnders castmate, Shona McGarty, who was also a guest at the wedding. “She’s got an incredible voice,” he says. “I’d put them in touch beforehand so they had Zoom rehearsals together. It was the duo you never knew you needed.”
Guests included EastEnders’ actresses Shona McGarty (far left) and Lorraine Stanley (far right)
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
Despite the forecast, the weather held out long enough for everyone to enjoy their meal outside and the sun was setting as the speeches began. Diane, who separated from John when Amy was two, kicked off proceedings, with the actress saying it was important to have her “wonderful mum” front and centre. “My dad was still very much part of our lives, but I really wanted to hear her version of a mother-of-the-bride speech,” says Amy. “My dad said a few words, which was lovely. He wasn’t well enough to talk for a long time, but he told an anecdote about when I was little. It had everyone in tears.” Amy’s brother also spoke, followed by the groom. “He was so eloquent,” Amy says. “I’m so proud that I’m with someone who can convey their emotions like he can, speaking publicly. I know he’s an actor, but he wasn’t being an actor in that moment, he was just being him. I believed every word – I was blown away.”
Amy and Kimberley’s mum Diane delivered the first emotional speech
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
And Toby also gave a special mention to a former colleague – who was also a wedding guest – during his speech. Lorraine Stanley, known for playing Karen Taylor in EastEnders, was there the night Amy and Toby met in the audience of Strictly. “I knew I had struck gold when Lorraine here finished the night off with the seal of approval,” said Toby, recalling the night he met Amy. “Lorraine said, ‘Your on-screen mother-in-law approves.’” After such heartfelt tributes, Toby’s best man Martin got everyone in the mood for a party with his hilarious speech, but not before everyone tucked into beef medallion, pork tenderloin and an array of Montenegrin meats and cheeses, followed by sweet delights including, of course, a slice of wedding cake. Choosing to make the most of her elegant dress, Amy opted against an outfit change and the wedding party headed to one of the villa’s outbuildings for a night of drinking and dancing. There was a cocktail mixologist, a cigar and whisky corner and enough Italian Limoncello to keep everyone’s energy levels up until the bride and groom finally retired… at 4am!
Amy and Toby danced their first dance to a live performance of Sonny Tennet’s song Calm Down
(Image: Emina and Vladan Gavric @vlasta.weddings)
“I ended doing a full-blown boyband routine to Relight My Fire with one of my old friends and it went down a storm,” Toby tells us. One of the couple’s favourite images of the day is a photo of them letting their hair down to Amy’s go-to party track, Tina Turner’s Proud Mary. “You can see us whiplashing to ‘rolling’. It sums up the night perfectly,” Toby says, laughing. The following day the couple enjoyed a low-key pool party with friends and family before everyone – bar Amy, Toby, Bonnie and Diane – flew home. “My mum is helping so we’ve got time, just the two of us, to talk about it all,” says Amy. When it comes to what’s next, the pair want to enjoy married life as a family of three for a while. “I’ll be going back to work and Toby has been doing a film in America, so there’s been a lot going on,” Amy says. “In the future we’d like more children, but we’re going to enjoy what we’ve got now.”Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnAmy WalshToby-Alexander SmithCelebrity weddingsEmmerdaleEastEndersKimberley WalshGirls AloudShona McGartyVIP Club
