We're getting married

It all started with a swipe right—no, really. We have the magic of 21st-century dating apps to thank for our decade together. If only we’d known that one simple swipe would be so life-changing for both of us. Mac, at the ripe age of 26, and Mappers, just about to turn 21 (please, let’s not mention the shipwrecked-themed 21st birthday party pictured below), we were both still living at home with our parents when we found each other on the world wide web—only to discover we were just 0.25km apart. Who knows how many times we had unknowingly passed each other in real life? So, when did we know? Like really know that this was forever? We’d been on a date to the cinema in Solihull to watch David Brent: Life on the Road (which Mac belly-laughed at all the way through). On the way home, he asked when he’d see me again. But at that time, I was deep into my cruise ship travels. I told him I wasn’t sure—I wouldn’t even be back in the UK for another 10 days, and even then, I’d only be here for 12 hours, landing at Gatwick one evening before flying out of Heathrow the next morning. I didn’t think much of it. But when I arrived at my Heathrow hotel, there was Mac, waiting in the reception. He took me for a fancy date (Nando’s, of course) in Earl’s Court, and we had some drinks. From that moment on, it was a whirlwind—within a year, we were living together in our own flat. After a brief (ahem, two-year) stint living with my parents, we bought our first home. It’s now been five years since we got the keys, and I still remember Mac saying to me on the drive up, "This is it, the start of the rest of our lives." He even carried me over the threshold—though I’m fairly sure that’s reserved for weddings! But he wasn’t wrong. In that time, we’ve built a life together, with our four-year-old Cavapoo, Maximus, and our two-year-old daughter, Ellie. Getting married was always a when, not an if for us—an unspoken understanding every time we attended a wedding together and watched the bride walk down the aisle. We finally got engaged in September 2022, and ever since, it’s been a whirlwind of dreaming, planning, and saving. So if you’re reading this, know that we are beyond excited. We’ve imagined this day a thousand times, and when it’s over, we’ll look back on it to get us through life’s tougher moments. And even though we’re older—and hopefully wiser—it still feels the same as it did back then. If anything, even more so. A whirlwind of excitement and yet another beginning to the rest of our lives—but this time, an even happier one.