On the 10th of November 2017, he proposed… and I said Yes!

I wanted to take a few days before writing this post though many of you may have seen a few posts on my Instagram and Facebook. I guess I would start at the beginning… or sort of.

Vill tillägga att detta inlägg kommer endast vara på engelska.
Engelska är språket jag känner mig trygg att skriva i och uttrycka mig i.

A & I met back in 2008-ish at the local student pub/bar through some mutual friends. (Photo above was around the same week we met!) I was working and he was, for once, out. I would say it was love at first sight on my part… It obviously took him a while to find me. We found common ground in being homebodys. Watching movies and intelligent conversation. We love travel and we love being in each others company. Perfect match if I may say so myself.

Fast forward… A & I have been together for over 9 years now so it has been a long wait. I knew he was the one I wanted to spend my life with and have voiced this to him multiple times (okay, okay, many even in direct & blunt ways) that he should find a ring and just get it over with! No romantic gestures, no crazy proposal or audiences. Just a pretty sparkling ring to decorate my ring finger. But no matter how many hints I left, months and years past and the hope of the next step in our relationship was faint. I was happy to live with him and we have an amazing life together no matter if we were engaged or married so after 5 years, I gave up the notion of it.

London

I wanted to get away for a weekend and I found a good deal on a combo flight & hotel so I booked it! I had warmer climate, shopping and just good food planned. I like London since it isn’t too far of a flight and I feel a bit at home when everyone speaks English and actually understands me (which is hard to find in Sweden). Anyway. We decided to travel on Friday (10th Nov) Morning and just spend a long weekend together. A bit of Primark, a few pharmacies and fast food like Chipotle, Shake Shack and that…

Hyde Park – Kensington Gardens

Our hotel is located near Kensington Gardens and we walked through the park a number of times during our long weekend away. On the way back to the hotel on Friday, we were walking around Kensington Gardens just above the Italian Gardens. The sun was setting and a beautiful autumn day. A called me over to a little hill overlooking the Italian Gardens. I didn’t really get why he was trying so hard to get me to see what he was looking at.

I was taking a few photos so I made my way to him and he started with ‘This is a long time coming…’ and happiness ran through my blood from head to toe. I believe I said Yes in multiple languages and the ring just made me speechless. Of course I cried and jumped into his arms and probably squeezed him harder than ever.

The Ring

I am traditional but I always hated Swedish rings – a plain boring golden band. Nope! I secretly wanted something shiny, something artsy (art deco!) and a mix of metals. I always dreamt of a Sapphire ring but then again, the traditional side of me also wanted a diamond. A & I did try rings in Las Vegas so he knew my size and what I liked. It is just too perfect and A did a fantastic job hiding the ring from me since Las Vegas over the summer!

The Aftermath

It happened so quickly and it still hasn’t really sinked in. Hilariously enough, my head started throbbing and I got a major migraine just a few moments after. We went back to the hotel and I spent probably 2 hours or so tending to my head. A was so sweet and went out to get water and some migraine pills. When I was feeling better… We headed off to Shake Shack. Perfect end to the perfect day!

The Announcement

One of the things I was not looking forward to was the announcement of our engagement. It’s wonderful that so many have sent their congratulations however the follow up question of “Why did it take so long?” and the worse one “So…When’s the wedding?” or… “So when are you due?”…  It just puts such a damper on the engagement. Honestly, I find such questions quite disrespectful. Insulting almost?

So… for many reasons, we held our announcement till a few days later… who can blame us? We wanted to keep our engagement special and between us. Also, we wanted to make sure our families knew before announcing to everyone else.

That’s the story! Thank you all again for all the well wishes and I’m sure wedding and that would sooner or later pop up here from time to time.