On Friday afternoon Helen and I arrived at the airport for a weekend away to a secret destination. Unfortunately about 5 minutes after we were due to board our flight, they announced that all flights by our chosen airline had been suspended. After much chaos and uncertainty, it gradually unfolded that the airline had entered bankruptcy proceedings, so we would not be flying to the coast for a weekend away at my family’s beach house after all!

Luckily, we instead got ourselves dressed up, and headed to the referees annual gala ball instead. We had a fun-filled Oscars-themed evening finished off with a nightcap in a cosy hotel bar near home.

On Saturday morning, we awoke from a lovely lie-in, and I made us coffee and tea in bed. On returning to bed, I turned to Helen and said, “I love waking up next to you”. And Helen somewhat sleepily looked over with a smile, nodding at hearing something that I say almost every day. I continued, “How would you feel about waking up next to me for the rest of your life?” At which Helen smiled even more. I pulled out a small box I’d left next to the bed, and asked her, “will you marry me miss?!” At which point she grinned from ear to ear, and kissed me (she did also eventually say “yes”). Then I opened the box, and Helen’s expression turned from joy to confusion, as she saw a ring-pull from the top of a ginger beer bottle inside the box. I then pulled out the cushion inside the ring-box, and underneath it was the actual ring – a vintage late 1920’s to early 1930’s gold ring with diamonds in a platinum bridge. 

We are both thrilled and hope that you will all share in our happiness that we are now engaged!