My mum had always said that I would never just meet someone at work - and then in walked Jack! He worked for the sister company to the café I worked in at the time, so was coming in for his free coffee during a tattoo session. I was immediately charmed, but tried to stay professional; that didn't last long, and soon we were chatting while I ignored the other customers. After getting to know each other over the next few weeks, we spent all of New Year's Eve together at the Kite (which would become our wedding venue), and had our first kiss under the fireworks at midnight.
After the winter break, I went back to university in Brighton. Jack really showed how brilliant he was during these years (and how much more of a morning person he is than me!) by frequently getting on the train at 7am to be in Brighton for breakfast at 9am. He got a taste of the uni life by hanging out with my housemates, taking his turn doing the mopping, and even one clubbing night! There were some tough times where we were apart during the pandemic, but we came out of the other side stronger, and were grateful to be in the same place again once I graduated. It was then time to find my feet and a job, and once I did after about a year, we were able to buy our first home - this was always a goal we both valued, and for the past two and a half years it is a place of joy and comfort for us both.
The first thing I wanted to do was speak to Eliza's parents; she had always said they would laugh if I asked their permission, but where I'm traditional I knew I wanted to have a conversation with them first. When I texted them asking to come round, they said 'this will either be great news or terrible news' - luckily it was the first one. After getting their blessing, Eliza's mum asked me when I was going to pop the question, hoping for that evening, but I wanted to plan something special. After briefly considering Amsterdam, my best man Will made me aware of some potential pitfalls with this plan - including the fact that Eliza had clocked my plans! I then decided to look at Groundworks, the place it all started. I organised for flowers, balloons, and music to be set up after closing, and then got Eliza out of the house by saying we were going for drinks with friends (thanks Will and Tori!). I then pulled her inside, and predictably, as soon as she realised what was happening, she started tearing up - but not too much to get in the way of her saying an overjoyed yes!