The story
We met during the 2020 lockdown in probably the most lockdown way possible: I’d just finished teaching one of my live workouts on Insta and was sweaty from an intense HIIT session when Wes slid into my DMs with something like, “Your energy is LIT”. We giggle about that now, as I don’t think he’s used that word before or since… but it worked, and a couple of messages later we’d agreed on a first date.
A week later, we went to a gorgeous rooftop bar in London, drank lots of rosé in the sunshine and, honestly, the rest was history. We went from 0 to 100: by our third date, we were on holiday in Portugal together!
We’ve now been together for five and a half years, and in that time we’ve really taken life by storm. We’ve both worked incredibly hard, built businesses and created a lifestyle we love, aligned on the things that make us happy: travel, the ocean, adventure, good food and making the most of life. Most recently, we sold our businesses and spent five months travelling around Southern Africa in a converted Jeep. We don’t tend to do things by halves.
Dropping hints
We’d discussed our future, and I was thinking about it more. Lots of our friends are married or having children, and with me turning 33 in August and Wes 35 in September, we’d naturally started having more honest conversations about the next chapter.
We’ve always done things in our own order rather than following a traditional timeline. But I’d started explaining to Wes that I felt really ready to think about becoming a mum. My own mum went through menopause early, so I didn’t want to leave starting a family too late.
We had a few honest conversations, but I didn’t want to keep pushing or take away his opportunity to do it in his own way and time. I’m so glad I didn’t, because what he planned was so completely unique, so beautiful and so us. I hoped an engagement was in our future, but I didn’t expect it so soon into our big Africa trip.
The proposal
The proposal came early into what was already the biggest adventure of our lives, driving through South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and beyond. Wes convinced me we should stay at a beautiful safari lodge – a friend of his had supposedly organised a discounted stay, so obviously I thought, “Well, we can’t say no to that!” I had no idea there was a much bigger plan going on.
On an evening safari drive, we stopped for sunset drinks in the bush. The sun was going down over this incredible wild landscape, elephants roaming nearby, and then Wes pulled the ring out of the champagne cooler box and got down on one knee.
He had even secretly organised a photographer to capture it, which I still can’t believe. I’m so grateful we have those photographs, because the whole thing was a blur of shock, happiness and emotion – more perfect than anything I could have imagined.
The ring
My ring is really one of a kind, and the reaction I get from almost everyone who sees it is, “Wow, that is SO you,” which I absolutely love. Wes always knew I’d want something different. I love statement jewellery, I love texture, I love things that feel a little unexpected, so he knew a traditional ring wasn’t going to be right for me.
He had it designed in South Africa, which makes it even more special – Wes is South African, and it’s a place we plan to spend a lot of time in the future. The band is thicker, with a beautiful hammered texture, and the stone is slightly off-centre, which we always joke is probably the perfect representation of my personality! Apparently Wes had been secretly going through photos on my phone to work out what styles I liked, and enlisted my best friend too. I genuinely look at it every day and smile from ear to ear.
Engagement party
We did things completely in reverse. After getting engaged, we basically climbed back into our Jeep and carried on travelling! In some ways, it felt like we had the honeymoon before we’d even planned the wedding – months in the wild together to enjoy what had happened before any planning began.
When we came home, we celebrated with our favourite people in smaller circles rather than one big formal party. Lots of hugs, lots of Aperols, lots of retelling the proposal story. After months away, simply being back around our friends and family felt like a celebration in itself.
The outfit
I had absolutely no idea and my outfit is probably the biggest proof of that! We’d just come off a long car journey, so I wasn’t exactly looking my best. There was no fresh blow-dry, no engagement manicure, no secret new dress conveniently packed. I was in very relaxed, floaty linen, shorts and flip-flops, because as far as I knew we were simply going on a safari drive.
The funniest part is that the flip-flops were actually free ones I’d taken from a previous hotel! Afterwards, Wes was like, “I cannot believe you wore those free hotel flip-flops on the day I organised an engagement photographer.” But I think that’s part of what made it so perfect – it was raw and real, and I was completely myself. Would I have done my hair if I’d known there was a photographer hiding in the bushes? Absolutely! But actually, I wouldn’t change it.
Wedding plans so far
Originally, we really wanted to get married in South Africa, because it’s where Wes is from and where my ring was designed. But when we thought about what mattered most, we knew the people we love needed to be there. My mum has Alzheimer’s, so keeping the wedding closer to home and the journey manageable for her and our family became incredibly important.
We also knew we wanted to get married by the ocean, where we’re both happiest. So we chose Crete – somewhere we’ll return to for family trips over the years, so it won’t just be a place we visit once.
The vision is essentially a three-day holiday with all of our favourite people. We don’t want it to feel formal or stiff; we want it to feel alive. Beautiful food, the ocean, lots of laughter, dancing and everyone letting their hair down. It’s less about a perfectly orchestrated “wedding day” and more about creating a whole experience together – a few days by the sea, surrounded by the people we love most, with full hearts and probably a little bit of chaos, because it wouldn’t be us without that.
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