Understated, personal and quietly confident, Tabitha Willett’s engagement is the kind of modern love story that feels effortlessly chic. No grand gestures for the sake of it, no over explaining, just a moment that unfolded exactly as it should.
Set during a trip to Dubai, the proposal came at the end of a stay at The Lana, with sunset views, playing cards and a private dinner waiting back in the suite. It was intimate, thoughtful and completely unforced. The ring followed the same approach. Classic, simple and reworked with London jewellers Philippa Herbert into something that feels timeless and entirely Tabitha.
A fashion consultant, a Wedding Edition contributing editor and Made in Chelsea alum, Tabitha Willett brings a sense of calm confidence to this exciting next chapter.
The story
Harry and I met a few years ago in passing through friends. We stayed in contact but were never close. It was actually January 1st 2025, at my most single, after putting on my vision board for the year that I wanted to find love, that I replied to an Instagram story of his saying we should grab a drink and catch up soon. He loves telling the story that I “slid into his DMs”.
We went for a drink, our first date lasted three days, and I called my best friend Ollie Locke after he left and said, I am going to marry this man.
Dropping hints
It sounds quite unromantic, but I think in your 30s, and as parents (Harry has a daughter too), you want to be sure you are not wasting any time. It was a discussion we had right from the beginning. We aligned on everything and it all felt very uncomplicated. Not full of fire or passion, just easy.
I of course sent Harry photos of the style of ring I wanted, which in true male form he decided to disregard, but that made the engagement ring process much more fun after. He is much more romantic than me. We are very much a black cat and golden retriever couple, so I was confident he would pull it out of the bag, and there would be lots of tears, from him.
The proposal
When we decided to start trying for a baby, there were a few planned visits to Dubai (where Harry works most of the time) scheduled around ovulation. One of these trips fell across my birthday, so I had an inkling it might happen then. My birthday came and went, so I assumed it was not happening and stopped thinking about it.
Ottilie was with us as it was half term, so we were busy and distracted. She went back to London with her dad a day early, and I was flying home a day later, so Harry and I had one final day and evening together.
We were staying at The Lana in Dubai, a new hotel and part of the Dorchester Collection, which I had been desperate to try. We were sitting on the roof, watching the sunset, having a drink before dinner and playing cards. We play gin everywhere we go.
Harry said he had planned our last dinner, so I did not know where we were going, but he needed to grab something from the room first. When the door opened, the suite was filled with rose petals and candles, and there was a table set on the balcony overlooking the city for a private dinner.
We sat down, he said the most beautiful words, and asked me to marry him. He gave me the ring without the box, which felt much more elegant, and of course I said yes.
I left the next day and kept the engagement quiet until we had done all the formalities and were ready to tell everyone. I was also very unwell with morning sickness, so it all felt quite overwhelming. I am really glad we took our time and waited until we were ready.
The ring
I wanted something very classic that would age beautifully. A solitaire, one stone, gold band. Super simple, but the bigger the better. No colour preference and ideally nothing pavé, as I am definitely more is more.
Harry had always said he wanted me to have a family piece, so he proposed with what he called a placeholder ring, and a very nice one at that. It was not quite my style, but the emerald cut diamond itself was very workable.
I am very lucky to have close friends in Philippa and Sally from Philippa Herbert, who have made all of my special pieces over the years, including my fingerprint signet ring which I never take off. When I felt better after returning to London, we visited their Battersea Power Station studio to explore designs and possibilities.
They lent me a beautiful ring to wear while we finalised the design, which I immediately fell in love with. I actually announced the engagement wearing that borrowed piece as I could not wait any longer to celebrate. The final ring arrived just before Christmas and it is more beautiful than I could have imagined. I cannot wait to wear it every day, and I love the idea of stacking it with other milestone rings as the years go by.
Engagement party
We actually haven’t! The engagement coincided with Christmas so luckily we have seen and celebrated with all of our loved ones over the festive season with pre planned events! We also are super lucky to have been able to get pregnant more easily than expected (I have had a series of medical complications in the past), so festivities are somewhat limited as we prioritise this time for the impending arrival!
The outfit
I happened to be wearing white. A beautiful piece by UAE designer Nora Label. It was a white maxi dress with a floor length cape that I had bought to shoot in the desert on a previous trip, which felt rather fitting in hindsight.
Wedding plans so far
We have always planned to have a small legal ceremony before the baby arrives, followed by a much bigger celebration afterwards. I know I want to wear a proper wedding dress rather than an evening gown, and I want the official celebrations to feel spectacular.
Beyond that, I am fairly relaxed on the details. A wedding planner will be essential to keep everything smooth and enjoyable. But as with the ring, I am definitely more is more.
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