Firstly, we must ask, how did you and your new fiancé meet?
“We were actually set up on a blind date by mutual friends almost five years ago! We went for a coffee one evening at 5A in Stranmillis, Belfast. Unbeknownst to me, Colin had a cunning plan whereby if the date was going badly, he could be rid of me by 8pm when the café closed. But if the date was going well, we could go on to Cutters Warf for a drink. Needless to say, we ended up going for that drink!”
We’re all dying to know; how did Colin propose?
“Colin proposed at the site of our new home – which is on his parent’s farmland in the North Coast of Northern Ireland. It was a complete shock as Saturday site visits have been part and parcel of life for the last few months while we’ve been planning our forever home. I was in my wellie boots and he got a very muddy knee, but it was just so perfect and private. I’m not one for big gestures and would have hated having everyone stare at me. It was such a lovely idea of his to make an already special place even more so.”
Tell us about your ring…
“My ring... sometimes I can’t quite believe its mine! It is a three-stone oval cut diamond ring set in a platinum band. We went to Jack Murphy Jewellers together (just for a look) as we had been thinking about getting engaged when we began planning the house. I’ve known the Murphy family for a few years and always knew I wanted my ring to come from them. It was such a fantastic experience! At the time, I had no idea what I would like or what would have suited me, so I couldn’t even give Colin any hints. Corinna and Gemma were so patient in letting me try on the different styles, with no pressure at all. Their whole focus was on sharing their wealth of knowledge and getting it right for us.
“I fell in love with the ring that would eventually be mine. However, I didn’t think too much about it when we left the shop, as I figured an engagement would be quite a few months or even a year away at that point. However, Colin bought the ring and asked my father’s permission later on that day!”
How are you finding wedding planning during Covid?
“It might sound strange, but we are so grateful to be planning a wedding with the knowledge of Covid. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to have planned your wedding to have it changed so unexpectedly. But it is such an exciting time!
"We have set our date for the 9th of July 2022 with a religious ceremony at my Grandparents church in Aldergrove and on to our reception at a new venue, Maghermorne Estate just outside Larne. My uncle is a Parish Priest, so he has kindly agreed to marry us, which is so special. We are both the first in our families to get married, so everyone is so excited for the big day! For us, our marriage and our future life together is at the centre of everything and will be the most important part of the day, whatever form it takes. But we do have our fingers crossed to be able to have everyone we love there!”