Cath and Dave Real Engagement Story

Dave and I have been together for 18 months, and despite a couple of difficult patches, I can honestly say it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.

Although our relationship has always felt right, it has always been long distance. We had been living 300 miles apart until July last year when Dave got a job in Nottingham, which was closer, but still 150 miles from my home! So our many hours of travel continued, which has been very draining and frustrating for both of us. However my job as a teacher means I have good chunks of holiday time, which we always spend together.

We had often discussed that we want to get married, we knew it would happen one day -almost from word go! But the occasional discussion never developed into serious plans, and we carried on happily in our own way until leap year’s day this year when, half jokingly, I asked him. Of course I wasn’t completely serious…we had always had an understanding that he would do it properly when the time was right, but he said yes right away…and meant it!

The very next week he took me out to choose my ring so he would know what to buy when the time was right for him to ‘do the proposal properly’. I found the perfect ring – I put it on my finger and I knew – so Dave took a note of it for "future reference".

One weekend shortly afterwards he asked my dad – something that was very important to him to do. It was meant to be a secret from me, but he was so nervous for the whole weekend, I knew exactly what was going on!

During May half term I went to stay with him, and he took a few days off work. On his first day off he took me on a "blindfolded" drive to an undisclosed location. When we got there, it turned out to be Newstead abbey. There are lots of gardens so we went for a walk, played on the see saw and talked to the ducks.

On our walk, we found ourselves in the Japanese gardens when I suddenly realised he was kneeling on the floor. As I turned round, I saw he had a ring in his hand, and then he asked me to marry him (to which I eventually managed to say yes!).

So even though I knew it was going to happen at some point, it was still the best surprise ever. And totally romantic! I spent the whole day on cloud nine and I don’t think I’ve come down since.

We hope to get married in October 2005 when we will have been together for almost 3 years, and I am so excited. We are moving to a new house in Nottingham on July 31st to be together, and its the best thing ever. We get on so well, have so many things in common, I am totally thrilled to be marrying my best friend and the most honest, caring man in the world.