We’re Engaged!

Now that we’ve shared the news with friends and family, I thought I should update you guys. Lucy and I got engaged last weekend on a mini-break in Bournemouth! So here are a few photos and details about the day, and answers to some questions we’ve been asked.

Was it a surprise proposal? No, we’ve been planning this for years and it was only at the start of 2018 that we finally knuckled down to search for rings.

How long have you been together? 5 years

Did you pick your own rings, and how did you find them? Yes, we picked our own. In May, when we went to Kent (see post on Scotney), we were actually driving down to visit a ring maker (hehehe). Lucy’s ring is made by Kris at Shiruba Tree and it’s 14k yellow gold with cocobolo wood and a native oval diamond. We enjoyed getting her ring hand-crafted, and Kris was great and very patient with the back-and-forth ring sizing.

My ring was a “when you know, you know” situation. I tried one other ring on but had my mind set on a halo style ring with an antique vibe… as is very evident from my Pinterest board. We went into Goldsmiths specifically to try my ring on and that was that. Many years of searching and the second ring I tried was perfect. Again, we had sizing issues — we actually cut it close in terms of having the rings ready for Bournemouth! Our experience was great but the highlight was when the guy helping us said (I kid you not) “enjoy the rest of your gay… I mean day”. We will enjoy our gay, thank you very much. 🙂

Why Bournemouth? We debated Paris, but it just isn’t “us”. We got engaged on Brownsea Island which we visited last year (see post). It reminds me a lot of Vancouver and the Gulf Islands so it feels a bit like home. It’s very peaceful and smells nicely of pine – plus it has amazing views! We spent many of our early years together visiting National Trust places (and still do), so it just seemed right.

How did it happen? We literally walked around the entire island in the blistering heat before finding a spot. We were both so hot, we quickly asked the big question to each other and put the rings on, took some photos, and then went to get lunch. We were both so heat exhausted that we slept most of the afternoon at the hotel before having delicious cocktails. SO ROMANTIC!

Our hotel was in Canford Cliffs near Sandbanks, in between Poole and Bournemouth. We highly rate this hotel; they’re friendly, allow pets and it’s suitable for children, and we had an emperor sized bed! Also, their food is terrific, and a lot of it organic and locally sourced. If you’re looking for a mid-priced getaway we highly recommend The Plantation.

When are you getting married? Not for a couple of years as we are focusing on moving into a house. We know that it will be a small, immediate family wedding, hopefully outdoors with a reception in our backyard.

Final thoughts? Mad respect for any man or woman who needs to sort all this out on their own! It took us ages to figure out what rings we wanted for ourselves and where we wanted to get engaged, so we can only imagine the stress of having to plan it on your own.

Thanks to everyone for being so positive. We were both apprehensive about sharing the news and have been overwhelmed with everyone’s kind and loving reactions!

Bonus photos of wild horses and donkeys in New Forest!

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