I got engaged in February! We had been together for just over 5 years and knew we wanted to get married, but life kept throwing us curve balls. He got made redundant in October, around our 5 year anniversary, and I was struggling a bit as I knew it would push our marriage plans out further.

I had a long work trip in the states and missed his birthday. When I got back he said he had planned a little night away in Cambridge (where I grew up before I moved to Scotland). At first I was perplexed, and then kind of mad that he had spent money when we were supposed to be saving whilst he looked for a job. Then he mentioned my nails… I said outright I was suspicious because he had mentioned my nails a couple of times and he laughed it off - very convincingly - saying he had booked a jewellery making class and they would be taking pictures. He knew I liked having my nails neat and wanted to make sure I had time to get them done.

The few days before were a torture of my own making. I had got bored and looked up jewellery making classes in Cambridge and couldn’t find anything that matched the description of date… suspicions rose. But I was also certain there’s no way it could be a proposal because how and when would he have got the ring with the job situation? Long story short, I worked myself up completely but also didn’t want to ruin something he’d clearly put a lot of effort into with my own expectations.

He was quite insistent on going to a particular national trust so we drove there first. When heading back to the car after a lovely walk (minus my brain working overtime), he said we needed to be at the jewellery making class at 5 so maybe we could wonder around the fitzwilliam museum before checking into the hotel. My heart sank, I knew then it really was a jewellery class and I had worked the engagement up in my head.

As we had a glass of wine near the museum he told me he lied… we were actually going punting at 5 and he wanted me to know so I dressed warm. We didn’t have much time but when we arrived at punting I heard him say he had booked a private punt. I knew then this was it.

I couldn’t look at him. He was fidgeting with his pocket. Our chauffeur was telling us all these facts about the colleges and I, once again, thought maybe it wasn’t engagement time because this guy won’t shut up.

But we got to the bridge of sighs, the punt stopped, he got on one knee and I was in floods of tears. I’m not even sure I actually said yes! It was absolutely beautiful. Then someone else’s boat t-boned ours and brought us back down to earth.

It was magical. Turns out he’d bought the ring before he got made redundant and I had absolutely no clue. He was going to consultations and telling me it was doctors, or dentist, or optometrist. At one point I did say he was too paranoid about his teeth and didn’t need to be going to the dentist so much! He brought the ring home in a white plastic bag which he put on the side. When I asked what it was he said a secret Santa present (it was November) and I didn’t think twice about it.

Looking back on it now and seeing all the effort he went to in order to make it a special moment for us, despite the circumstances, just makes it even more magical. He’s also very lucky I didn’t suspect a thing in the six months before! We get married next April.