As hundreds of young people prepare to set off on this year's Liverpool Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage, one couple will be celebrating a very different milestone inspired by the shrine they both love.

Stephen O'Driscoll and Emily Crompton first met on the Youth Pilgrimage in 2017. Three years ago, during the Archdiocese's Centenary Pilgrimage, Stephen proposed to Emily at the Grotto while the couple were lighting a candle. This weekend, as the Youth Pilgrimage celebrates its 50th anniversary in Lourdes, the couple will be getting married.

Looking back, Stephen said "I came up with the idea to propose in Lourdes because it was the place that really changed me as a person spiritually and emotionally... Since the start, it has been a very special place for the two of us, so I thought, why not propose in a place that means so much to us? It will be something we can cherish forever."

Now, three years later, they're getting married during the 50th Anniversary of the Liverpool Lourdes Youth Pilgrimage.

Although their wedding will take place in England, Lourdes will still be at the heart of their celebration. Emily told us:

"We first heard 'Taste and See' and 'Counting Every Blessing' in Lourdes, and these will be used during our wedding Mass. We'll be getting married while the pilgrimage is happening, so we're hoping our friends who are there will keep us in their prayers."

Everyone in the Archdiocese of Liverpool sends Stephen and Emily their warmest congratulations and every blessing for their wedding day and for the years ahead.