are getting married

* "The stars have aligned. All you need to do is share a bottle of prosecco and the rest will take care of itself." This is the message Dave, our mutual friend and matchmaker, sent each of us a few weeks before we finally met. * We met at a bar called Sorrows. Jess drank wine. Lara, G and T (she usually drinks beer but she was trying to be fancy). Despite the lack of prosecco, the stars still co-operated. * Talking of stars, Jess has the Leo constellation tattooed on her side. Neither of us has ever seen it in night sky but it’s visible in the Southern Hemisphere from December to May. Perhaps we will see it on the 2nd. * Lara's birthday is 8 January (08.01). Jess' birthday is 1 August (01.08). Lara's middle name is Jess. Jess's middle name is Lara (no, that would be too weird, Jess' middle name is Ann). * On 25 May 2019, Lara proposed to Jess on the island on Robberg Nature Reserve. A minute or two after Jess said yes, dolphins and seals appeared in the water below them and then an otter walked out of the sea onto the sand. (On hearing this story, our friend Pete said, "So, what you're saying is you were in the middle of a Disney movie?" We refer to the title of this list (a few lovely FACTS). * Jess always believed she would propose first. So, after La snuck in her proposal, plans for her own did not come to a halt - they ramped up. She organised decoy weekends to keep La on her toes. And then, a few months later, chose Montagu. There were oranges, lemons and kumquats growing in the courtyard, red wine and letters by the fire and - would you believe it - an otter?! (Don't believe it. There was no otter but Jess still somehow managed to win at proposing despite going second.) * We're considering double-barrelling our surnames... * Regardless of whether you'll be celebrating with Mrs & Mrs Thomas-Stanbridge or Mrs & Mrs Stanbridge-Thomas, we are SO very excited to share this special time with you all.