For a live stream of the wedding, watch back: youtube.com/sophiemeilan
Following a whirlwind romance, the star of Rate My Takeaway has married a belly-dancing journalist who he describes as his “soul mate – a solid 10.”
Former Butcher Danny Malin, 43, met vegan personal trainer and journalist Sophie Mei Lan, 35, last year during a media interview, when the pair hit it off and Danny invited Sophie as a guest on his LDC radio show.
“Even in that interview we had a ‘Yorkshire off’ and we just clicked. Then I took her to the train station but her train was cancelled so I dropped her off at home.”
Sophie and Danny began meeting up as friends and quickly realised they had fallen for each other.
Sophie said: “I felt like I was living every romantic cliche I had written about, we were destined to be. He is the one for me, there is no doubt.”
Danny popped the question to Sophie after she’d finished cleaning the bogs. With bleach on her hands and a mum bun in her hair she said yes.
Sophie said: “Then in another glamorous moment, I took a pregnancy test in the t’Asda loos and Danny saw the results when we hopped back into the Rate My Takeaway van. And we were up duff.”
In true Danny and Sophie style they planned to tie the knot before their baby was here.
On June 10th at 11 am the pair wed at Leeds Minster in a ceremony in front of friends and family to the sound of a gospel choir, dancing and British Sign Language from CoActive and prayers uniting everyone.
The theme was white, green and yellow like the Yorkshire Rose with oriental touches and the Chinese lucky colour gold in abundance. Rather than traditional flowers one of Leeds’ oldest churches was decorated in stylish balloons by a Sense of Occasion.
Sophie wore a fairytale dress from Bridal Reloved in York, the bridesmaids were dressed in a design by Sophie’s daughter Jasmine and made by Wake Bespoke and all the groomsmen were dressed in suits by Danny’s favourite Yorkshire shop Slaters.
Sophie said: “I was worried about finding ‘the’ dress with my growing belly but my friend Elizabeth took the best care of me and I bought a preloved dress, tiara and veil for the big day. Better still it’s all preloved so eco -friendly.”
Being eco-conscious was important to the couple who tasked Crafting for Good CIC to make stunning invites using recycled craft supplies.
Sophie added: “I also felt a million dollars having Shaheen Bridals do my makeup and hair by Rebecca Roberts.”
Following the ceremony conducted by Paul Maybury at Leeds Minster where the landmark Leeds Cross is held, there was a crisp buffet, mocktail bar by the Black Durag Guy and a food truck outside of Leeds Minster.
Wedding guests then strutted their way over to Aria Suite for a wedding breakfast of indo-chinese cuisine as well as special entertainment from guest bellydancers, burlesque chair dance uk, the wedding magician of the year, musician Cat Thompson and singer Zara Hall. Followed by a rave-style disco hosted by LDC Radio who Danny and Sophie have their own show on with DJ MT on the decs.
Plus a special set from good friend and legendary DJ Stephanie Hirst alongside Mr and Mrs Yorkshire themed cocktails from the Iyaka Events.
Owner of Iyaka Events Karina said: “The Mr Yorkshire cocktail was a Danny-misu inspired by Dan’s love of Tiramisu and with a magic wand as a stirrer as well as a lightning bolt to represent his love of Harry Potter and magic. As Mrs Yorkshire is a bellydancer and personal trainer @thesparklecoach her drink was a sparkly nipple aka a sparkly red strawberry mocktail with gold pieces, gems on the side and a newspaper scroll for a stirrer to represent her job as a journalist at Yorkshire Post.”
As expected the wedding was full of Yorkshire’s best media talent such as ITV’s Christine Talbot as compere, Man Vs Baby author Matt Coyne doing a reading, photography and graphic design by Rob Harrison Photography and filming by Esther Olaoye from Sparkle Community Media CIC (the social enterprise Danny and Sophie run), @360boothmcr for all your selfies and the Rate My Takeaway team.
Other special guests included legends of rugby league, Alfie OddJob, the Rate My Takeaway admins as well as Sophie’s Mr and Mrs Yorkshire’s favourite journalists, TV personalities and content creators.
A Britain’s Got Talent british variety show reflected Sophie’s career whereas food was also centrestage for the Rate My Takeaway man himself Danny.
“The Indian platters were made by Sheepscar Bar and Grill for the Wedding Breakfast and we then had a West Indian street food cart.”
Danny added the food was a solid 10 because the alternative would have been Toby Carvery for the wedding until disaster struck following the fruit and vegetables crisis.
It was a true regional affair when it came to using suppliers too with Spruce York making bespoke wedding coat hangers, Aroma Fizz Faye making hangers and flip flops and Helen Naughton creating Yorkshire inspired wax melts as Favours for all the guests.
Sophie added: “And a huge thanks goes to all our parents, children, wedding planner extraordinaire Carron Cummings from Code Events and to all our wonderful friends and families who celebrated our weird and wonderful day full of love and grub with us.”
How Sophie and Danny met:
When a lad who made his career working at a butchers before rating takeaways for a living, met a life-long vegetarian who loves nothing more than keeping fit and dancing at restaurants instead of eating, you’d think they would have little in common.
But their shared Yorkshire values of family, humour, and hard graft while living a down-to-earth life, these two YouTubers fell in love over far too many Starbucks coffees and Toby Carveries which cemented their relationship.
“Now then back on the road again,” said Rate My Takeaway star Danny Malin when he first set off to pick up Journalist and Britain’s Got Talent Bellydancer Sophie Mei Lan for a nail-biting date where the star crossed lovers went head to head over a game of ‘Guess Who?’ At Geek Retreat cafe.
From then on their foodie dates involved large parsnips, condensed milk and mushroom crisps. As well as Abdul’s takeaways, Blue Sakura all you can eat and taking the kids out to Xscape and Ninja Warrior.
When they weren’t eating they were dancing through Costco or giggling their way through Harry Potter’s Forbidden Forest or getting stuck in go-karts at Xscape’s e-kart racing.
There’s been a lot of Car Share filming too as Danny has played the part of an Uber driver, even securing tickets for Peter Kay in 2024 (meaning they had to go long term anyway), and an Uber Eats delivery service all in one.
In return, Sophie put Danny up for the night on his birthday giving him the best council house carpet flooring you could wish for and lots of cucumbers to snack on and kettlebells to play with.
But Yorkshire’s Peter Kay wannabe Romeo was a knight in shining kebabs when he rocked up at Sophie’s doorstep with coffee, flowers and cucumbers to ask her out after initially meeting through the media (interviewing one another) and becoming friends.
Ever since Yorkshire’s rip off Peter Kay and Myleene (without the) Klass lookalikes have become the best of friends and realised they were soul mates.
So Danny popped the question, nearly busting his knee and Sophie said “yes please.”
I never thought the love of my life would come packaged in a Santa top, a Gregg’s coffee (upgraded now to Starbucks) in hand and with an accent almost as Yorkshire sounding as mine.
But while there’s been a lot of belly laughter to the point a dentist in Barnsley said I’d locked my jaw (not just wet ma sen), we’ve had a lot of heart to hearts and tears of relief after a rollercoaster ride in our lives before meeting one another (to say the least).
Danny and I had been surviving just getting through each day. Life didn’t seem worth living other than for our precious kids who came first and always will. But we had both been just getting through each day with as much work and laughter as possible yet most days were sidelined with lonely nights.
When we met we realised we also needed to find love and happiness to be the best parents possible. And I feel so blessed to have met my soulmate and can’t wait for a life full of love, laughter and our perfectly imperfect family who are just incredible.
