So I guess I should start from the beginning for this Wedding Wednesday series and tell you about our engagement story going back to 2012. We kind of did things in a back to front way in that we booked the venue, photographer, even the florist without being properly engaged. We had been together for about four years when we started discussing when to get married. I was always adamant that I wanted to finish my degree before I started thinking about weddings but then I discovered Pinterest and all the incredible wedding boards and blogs. Soon I was obsessed with thinking about getting married and planning my own real life wedding and one afternoon, back when we were living in London Ben and I took a walk to Tiffany's on Bond Street. Before I knew it I had a ring on my finger and was talking the four c's (cut, colour, clarity and carat). After watching countless rom coms I had always thought the little blue box with an engagement ring in would be what I wanted but standing in the store I changed my mind and we wandered to Liberty's jewellery store remembering that my dad had bought my mum's ring from there. We found Kojis in their jewellery hall and I fell in love with a beautiful diamond ring that had four hearts (I'm obsessed with hearts) in the setting. I think Ben could tell that I'd fallen for it and we walked away saying we'd think about it, with me secretly desperately hoping he'd go back for it. We started planning the wedding anyway and I knew that the proposal would come in time. I even brought my dress before we were engaged although I think some shops looked at me like I was a fraud when they realised I didn't have a ring on my finger!

We were staying in gorgeous St Ives (which will feature on a blog post later on) and driving back from a trip to the Eden Project and Padstow, it was such a gorgeous day that we pulled in at the last minute to a national trust beach car park signed from the road. We were so lucky all week with a late summer heat wave and the day we got engaged was particular sunny and hot. We parked up and walked over to the cliffs at Bedruthan Steps not knowing what the beach would be like but realised as soon as we saw it we had made the right decision to stop. We walked along the cliffs and down the steep steps to the beach. It was stunning, the sun was shining with the bluest sky and I remember walking along thinking wow this is just so so gorgeous.

I was walking along the shore holding my shoes and Ben was climbing on the rocks. I wondered what on earth he was doing and called him over to take my photo. Little did I know that he was finding a mussel shell and hiding my ring in it! 

We walked around a big rock and all of a sudden I turned around and he was on one knee. I thought he was joking, I think because we had been teased about when he would propose for the last few months but then I realised he was deadly serious and said 'This is beautiful, you're beautiful, will you marry me?!'. I nearly passed out at that point, such a hazy incredible excitement, shock and a rush of love, that sick with happiness feeling that made me burst into tears.

Of course I said yes and we both jumped around on the sand for a while when I realised I should get some photos, I ran up to the only other person on the beach and through tears tried to explain that we'd just that moment got engaged and could she please take our photo. 

We strolled along the beach before getting changed in the back of the car and then sat eating dinner, drinking champagne and watching the sunset.

R <3 xx