I’m Engaged!

Well, well, well. Last time I checked in, I wrote about refreshing the blog and coming up with a new name and look. While I have been planning what that looks like (and vlogging!), I have other plans currently occupying my mind: wedding plans!!

On October 1st, my now-fiancé (ah!) proposed to me during our first trip to London as a couple. You all know my love and affinity for London, my third home, but my fiancé also calls it home; he completed his master’s degree in London and lived there for two years while doing so. We always planned on visiting and when we felt it was time in our relationship for an international trip together and purchased the tickets, 2020 had other plans. Since then, we have had other travels and a move together, but never got around to re-booking the trip until earlier this summer. It did not initially cross my mind that this trip would be extra special when it got it on the books, but as it got closer to the date, it felt different. My intuition, as always, was not wrong.

After three days exploring old stomping grounds together and for me, making new friends, he anxiously asked me on Sunday morning if I could be ready by 10:00 a.m. I knew immediately what I would be getting ready for and I appreciate that he informed me ahead of time that we would be doing a lot of walking. If you know me, you know I’m a heels girl and definitely would have loved to be wearing a beautiful pair during this even more beautiful moment; however, the idea of not being able to be mentally present during the process due to focusing on foot pain would never have been worth it. We walked through Bushy Park, a park that Fernando frequented during his time abroad, and we stopped at different places while he read me ‘our story’ in three out of five parts. I won’t share too much because I do believe some experiences should remain private and special, but you would have thought he paid the park animals to be actors during that part of the walk.

For stops four and five of our five-part story, we walked from the park to Hampton Court Palace. If you have been reading my blogs since I started, you know that one of my first excursions during study abroad was visiting Hampton Court Palace. We got there shortly after they opened so it wasn’t crowded. We walked through to the Privy Gardens where we were *mostly* alone. I saw three figures in all black just moseying around, but I secretly hoped they would be photographers as I knew the moment was coming. The scene was so beautiful. We stood in front of the fountain (which I’m glad was not on so I could hear) with the palace as our backdrop as he read me the final part of our story which would end with him asking me if I would like to continue our adventure together. I walked those two miles with this man who I’ve been walking alongside for almost four and a half years knowing fully what I was walking toward, and I still cried. I’m a sensitive person, so it’s not a shock, but I felt so much happiness in that moment. The whole proposal was so thoughtful and engaging (no pun intended) and I just appreciated that more than I can put into words. As I suspected, the three figures in black were photographers, but they were his friends who we’d been staying with! That made this moment even more special as he had people he knows and loves to help coordinate, and who had apparently been helping prepare for this day for three months before we crossed the pond. I always said I wanted to get married at a castle, but becoming an adult helps you learn that that only happens in fairytales (or for monarchs and rich people). Getting proposed to in front of one? I will happily accept that time and time again. Thank you, Fernando, for giving me my fairytale ❤

We celebrated with his friends afterwards and then had our own dinner that night overlooking central London. The hardest part was keeping it a secret online and out of photos as I wanted to share this special announcement with my family and closest local friends in person before putting it out into the world. I am so excited for this next chapter together. I know it will not be a fairytale all the way through–whether that be the wedding planning or marriage itself–but I’m prepared to fight the battles along the way. I can’t believe I’m a fiancé!!