Introduction

Mike and I have been together for eleven years. We first met in 2012 when I was sixteen and have done a huge amount together since then. We went to university together, living together throughout our studies. We started jobs under the same employer (vastly different roles), bought a house together and adopted a cat. We also started (and ended) a business together as well as travelled to various places.

Since I was a young child, I always knew I wanted to get married one day but it never really came to the forefront of our relationship – we were either too young, too busy or it just wasn’t the right moment to begin that chapter. Until now.

This post will be a little different from most as I really wanted to just tell the story rather than planning what I wanted to say too much.

Our Engagement Story

It was a sunny Sunday evening in Brecon. Mike and I had decided to take a walk along the canal at sunset, a route we’d scoped out a few days prior while on a canal boat trip with our friends. We strolled slowly but with purpose, snapping pictures of the flowers and scenery as we went. This was our third annual holiday and this year, we’d chosen a large property in the Brecon countryside – large enough to house our growing holiday group but still the type of holiday where people could slip away when they wanted to for some time to themselves or in a smaller group. 

With only one more full day of the holiday left before we headed home on Tuesday, we’d already had an amazing time. Besides the boat trip, we’d visited the caves, walked alpacas, been horse riding, walked up Pen Y Fan as well as ridden on the Brecon mountain railway and attended an archery session. Despite not living too much of a distance away from Brecon, I’d made it my business to be a real tourist during this trip – experiencing everything with a child-like, serendipitous attitude. 

The walk along the canal was significantly longer than Mike and I had realised and, due to the heatwave that had come in towards the end of the holiday, we were decently tired by the time we reached the location we were looking for. I’d describe it as the ‘end’ of the canal and, as we walked, boats were moored filled with families enjoying their dinner in the last of the day’s sunshine. Many greeted us as we passed by, something that doesn’t really happen in our hometown. Eventually, we made it to a quiet area with a bench, just beyond an old stone bridge. After sitting for a few minutes, looking at the calm river water drifting by, I thought it would be a great time to take some pictures. 

“Put the camera on the fence and we’ll do a timer mode,” I told Mike.

For the first few shots, I couldn’t stand as close to Mike as I’d wanted due to his camera bag still being on his shoulder, blocking me from moving in next to him.

“Let’s do this again without me holding this,” he said, motioning to the bag. However, before he could place it down and readjust the camera, a cyclist approached from behind us. The man opened the gate we’d come through previously but, as he tried to walk the bike through, the heavy gate became stuck on the ground, meaning he struggled to get the bike through. 

“Do you want any help?” Said Mike, a strange impatience entering his tone. 

“No, I’m ok thanks,” replied the stranger as one last shove proved successful in getting through the gate. Once the man had left, Mike returned to the task at hand. 

I approached the camera on top of the fence post where Mike was standing to get a closer look at the settings he was choosing. As I did, he moved away again to place the camera bag down onto the bench we had been sitting on prior to taking the photos. After this, we resumed positions for the next set of photos. 

The timer ended, the camera began to snap photos, and, after the first snap, I felt Mike leave my side. Before my brain had had a chance to register what was happening, I turned to see him down on one knee, holding a ring box containing the most beautiful blue ring I’d ever seen. 

“Will you marry me?” He asked, his voice shaky. 

To this day, I don’t remember what happened in the next few moments – it was a blur of happiness and hugs. We spent the walk back to Brecon town talking about all the times he’d wanted to propose and the reasons why it hadn’t been the right moment – laughing about how many times it seemed to have not worked out due to us overeating at various restaurants and therefore feeling rough. As it turns out, the ring had been living in his camera bag for around a year and a half, just waiting for the right time.

On arriving back in town, we went in search of a place to have dinner but, on our way, we spotted our friends who were also on their way to a dinner reservation. Initially, Mike and I were going to keep the engagement to ourselves (besides having texted our respective families) until we arrived back at the holiday cottage, however, I didn’t think I’d be able to keep my mouth shut during this interaction so we told them anyway. It felt incredible to finally be able to share such happy news and experience the excitement of others.

Once we found a restaurant to eat at, our time there and the drive back to the cottage was spent excitedly talking about how people would react to the news and generally just floating on a cloud. We immediately told everyone who had been sitting in the main living area as soon as we got back, to be met with “I called it!” from one friend and general excitement and congratulations from others. Shortly after, the whole house broke into a party with old club music from our teenage years, an extremely spiked punch bowl and lots of dancing. The night ended somewhere around midnight to 1am for Mike and I with us waking the next morning to wonder if it had all been a dream.