A weekend away

This weekend Simon and I went away! We went to a place called the Emmaus Centre (or Em-mouse if you are Simon) for a marriage preperation course called Engaged Encounter. It was really good!

We arrived with our friends Cathie and Aidan who are also getting married in March and sat down to a lovely dinner with the other 12 or so couples that were also at the weekend. The weekend was quite intense but it was just so lovely to get away from all the stresses of life and spend time and energy focussing on eachother and our future together. There were about 12 topics covered in the weekend, so it was pretty full on! The course was lead by three couples - not super couples who have everything right but just normal people - and covered a huge range of topics. At the end of each session we had some questions to answer. The men would go off to their rooms and the women would stay in the meeting room to write their own answers to the questions in a notebook and then we would meet up in our rooms in private to swap books and discuss our answers! It was fascinating seeing what eachother wrote! Some topics had us pushed for time as we had so much to chat about, whereas others we had plenty of time to spare.

On Saturday afternoon we had a walk together after lunch before the afternoon and evening sessions. The views from the centre were so lovely - fields of horses and rolling hills. Very scenic! On the saturday evening we had a time all together just chatting with drinks and snacks and comfy chairs which was nice, however I was super tired so I went to go to bed at around half 10. Simon came to say goodnight, but we ended up just chatting for about 2 hours about all sorts of stuff! It was really good fun, but I was definitely tired the next day!

                                                                       What a view!

                                                      Simon getting to know to locals

On Sunday we had more sessions, and a big roast dinner for lunch. Afterwards there was a short service before we got packed up and headed home! Coming back, we felt like we had been away for weeks! On the weekend, Simon realised that our wedding is under 4 months away and we haven't really planned that much, so we did a bit of brainstorming on Sunday evening. Things are about to get busy! After Christmas it'll be planning central for us!

For anyone who is engaged I would definitely recommend this weekend! It was great to get away and chat about topics that are important but hadn't crossed our minds before! The main highlight for me was just chilling out with Simon to be honest. The amazing thing is, the weekend was free as the charity works by having your weekend paid for in advance by donations! So yes, if you are engaged, book it! You won't regret it.

http://www.engagedencounter.org.uk/

Lots of new developments

So it has been a while since I wrote one of these posts! Some people have been asking what's been going on, so I thought I would update you all.

I don't remember if I told you or not, but both me and Simon have moved! I am living with some friends in Surrey, and he is living in a flat in Twickenham. Currently Simon is super super busy with his new job and me.. well I am super busy looking for jobs! So far I have a job working one day a week at a music shop - things are looking up!

We have put wedding planning on hold for ages because we have the main things booked, so weren't really too stressed about it. However, I realised the other day that we still have quite a few things left to do, so Simon came over and we got takeaway and did some googling and emailing. We have pretty much decided on a cake, and are still thinking about cars and flowers etc. Also we are getting very close to a final edit of the guestlist - the thing that has proved to be the most problematic!!! I have also made 55 out of 90 placecards. However, these aren't just any old placecards.... they are AWESOME. But a secret so I can't tell you any more than that.

In other news, we booked our photographer!!! This was something I really wanted to invest in, because photos will be kept for life, whereas no one will really remember the cake/flowers/seating plan. Check out his website! - http://www.timbishop.co.uk/

On the first weekend on November, Simon and I are going away for the weekend to Kent for a marriage preparation course with my friend and her fiance. I am looking forward to getting away from it all and having time with Simon to invest in us. It is hard to just chill out or even just to see each other because he is SO busy at the moment and in many ways our lives are currently polar opposite! However, things are slowly coming together wedding-wise. Not too long to go now!

The Engagement Party

On saturday we all travelled to my grandad's house in Swindon for a family celebration! Despite it being over a year since me and Simon got together, our families have never actually met, so we thought it would be a good idea to have a little engagement party to introduce the families and to have some fun too. Also, Mel, Luke and Tom (the maid of honour and best men) came down for the occasion.

We all had a really great afternoon and our families got on well which was so great! We also decided to have 'opposite' speeches which proved to be a lot of fun and gave other people to say something who won't get a speech at the wedding. So instead of the groom, best man and father of the bride doing speeches, we had the bride (me), the maid of honour and the father of the groom saying a few words. It was so lovely to hear from people how they see us as a couple.

In the afternoon we went for a walk around the village where my dad grew up and where I have many happy childhood memories. It meant a lot for me that I could share this place with Simon. It is a special place for me.

After a long long day, I went back to Simon's flat with Luke to drop off a few things before going back home and having a good long sleep :)

Reunited at last - plan plan plan!

Gosh it has been ages since I last posted! So much has happened. I have been to Romania for two weeks and also volunteered at a festival called Momentum for a week before moving house. My life has barely stopped and as I sit here writing this latest update I am quite pleased that I currently have nothing to do.

Yesterday I FINALLY got to see Simon after over two months apart! We met up at Twickenham station and had a super big hug. So good to see eachother and I am so pleased that hopefully we won't be apart for so long ever again. Some updates here - we have both moved house and are now within a 25 minute train ride of eachother! So life is going pretty well the moment.

Anyway, after meeting up, we got the train into London to book our honeymoon!!! After various issues with booking the correct room (no, not a twin room.. no, not for 7 nights, for 10 please!) we finally put a deposit on the holiday of our dreams - ten nights in Cape Verde next to the beach with all the food and swimming pools anyone could possibly want! We both did a little happy dance after leaving the holiday shop.

The hotel!

     After this, we had some lunch and a little stroll before heading off to Hatton Garden for rings. I would highly reccommend this place! It was incredible! Hatton Garden is a street with over 70 independent jewellery shops on it, and loads of them make custom made rings. Apparently it is the biggest jewellery quarter in Europe, so we decided that if we didn't find something we wanted there, we would never find it!
     We had a great time trying on rings, window shopping and making deals and bargains when we had decided on what we actually wanted. In the end we managed to get a really good deal on our rings. We each got to design our own wedding band. We chose the metal, the weight, width, depth, style and even some diamonds ;) - who knew these things were so complicated!

Hatton Garden

Here's the shop that got our money!

    












After a busy day making purchases of a lifetime, we headed back to Twickenham for dinner out using some of the money we saved from getting a deal on the rings before Simon drove me home.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of day. I will remember this day forever.

The Purchase of a Lifetime

So I have some exciting news. I HAVE GOT THE DRESS PEOPLE!

I may be a little strange, but so far during this process of planning the wedding, I haven't been overly girly excited about anything yet. Don't get me wrong, going to the church with Simon was great and choosing the venue was also good, although I was very sad that Simon couldn't be there to do that with me. However, dress shopping was exciting, and has really made me excited for the wedding.

I went to SO many shops with my mum this week and tried on loads of dresses, lots of them I didn't like. I always find clothes shopping stressful, and I tried on some truly horrendous dresses! However, one really stood out. With the other dresses, I looked in the mirror and thought, 'no, this is wrong, that looks funny,' etc etc, but when I put this dress on and looked at my reflection, it all hit me. I am getting married. I am getting married to Simon. This is a BIG deal. I am excited! So that is the dress I ended up getting. Sorry, I can't show you any pictures - it's a surprise!

It's all feeling more 'real' now. I haven't got to talk to Simon much for a while as he is in France and doesn't get back until the end of the month when I am away. Also, I leave for Romania tomorrow with my brother and shall be there for two weeks. The next time we see eachother will probably be in September for our engagement party. I am so pleased that both of us are having adventures and enjoying the summer alone though. Come the 1st of March, neither of us will be able to just leave the country alone or just do exactly what we want without considering the other. I am happy that we are both using this time to do things we want to do. I am pleased neither of us got in eachother's way this summer.

As my Dad once told me, a relationship should set you free rather than tie you down.

It's official!!

Today we booked the reception venue!
But first a short update on my life..
After a nice holiday with Simon and his parents up in the Lake District, we travelled back to London for my graduation which was so great!

Swimming in the Lake District

graduation

I graduated with a Bmus 2:1 (hons)! Exciting times! The same day I had an audition and had a good week going in and out of London doing lots of singing. Simon left for France, and I won't see him now until September :(

A while ago my mum and me went to look at some hotels for the reception and really liked the look of one. Today we went back with my dad and booked it! Whilst on holiday Simon and I looked through the brochure and chose a nice menu. I was sad that he couldn't be there to look round, but he trusts my judgement and is (most importantly from his opinion) happy with the food. 

Now the church and reception are booked, it is officially happening and on the 1st of March 2014 I shall become Mrs Leighton and begin a whole new adventure.

A busy few days!

So much has happened since I last posted!!!
Firstly, I sent off cards that I had made to four girls asking if they would be my bridesmaids! I haven't made cards since before uni and it was just so lovely to do something creative and fun.

Next, Simon came down for 24 hours... there has never been such a productive 24 hours! During that time he chose the suits, we looked at rings, we met with the vicar, looked at the church and even looked at a venue and did a third draft of the guestlist! Madness!

Talking with the vicar was really good actually. She told us all about the symbolism of the ceremony - including many things we didn't know! Apparently, in the service, the family of the groom sit behind him and the family of the bride sit behind her too. Then at the end they all pair up and walk out together to symbolise the joining of two families! Also, after the vows, the bride and groom walk together to the alter, so that their first steps as husband and wife are towards God! All pretty cool really!

Simon has said I can essentially choose where we go on honeymoon seeing as I am obsessed with travelling, so I have had a great time flicking through holiday brochures!

After Simon went home, Cathie (my housemate from uni and one of my bridesmaids) came down for two days, which was really good fun. I also went to my home church, which I haven't been at in ages and caught up with everyone there. The women were loving the proposal story!

So yep, my life at the moment! Lots of fun!

Unpacking my life and seeing the church!

I stayed at Simon's house and saw him graduate the other day. It was such a privilege to celebrate with him and his family. The next day we wrote a guestlist for the wedding and started brainstorming ideas. Because Simon is a very clever man, he set up a folder on both of our computers which we can both access and drop wedding ideas into. We have all sorts of different little folders with loads of exciting things inside!!!

This morning, my best friend Mel, Mum, my brother and myself went to go and check out the local church. Mum suggested it a while ago. We will be getting married in the winter, so would like to have a pretty church for nice photographs, seeing as the weather outside won't be so great. The local church was so lovely and definitely big enough to seat everyone we want to invite. I let Simon know, so he booked train tickets down later this week so we can both go and meet the vicar and talk to her about dates! We should have a date soon! How exciting!

The rest of today was spend unpacking two years worth of university stuff. I have moved back to my parent's house for the summer, with plans to return to London in September, and then obviously move in with Simon after the wedding. It is such an exciting time of life! Simon also sent me information about vows and the service, so we can think about the service content and take this to the vicar. We both want the service to be the most important bit of the day, and so we want to make sure it is super special!

The Proposal!!!!

On the 25th of June 2013, Simon Leighton proposed to me! Here is how it happened...

We met at Waterloo station underneath the clock where we always meet up. In fact, the first time we ever met up in London was underneath that clock! We were just talking and cuddling, when all of a sudden there was an announcement over the tannoy, 'Can Joanna Hardy please go to the information desk!' So off we went! At the desk a man gave me a brown envelope and a little present. I opened the envelope and inside was a piece of paper. One one side was a picture of us when we went to see the Opera in London Colosseum, and on the other side was a love letter from Simon. I opened the present and it was a little panda necklace!!! I had to guess from the picture where we were going next, and eventually I worked out that we were going to the Opera House, so off we went...

We eventually got to London Colosseum and Simon told me to go to the box office. There, there was a man who handed me another envelope and parcel. I opened the envelope to find another love letter with a picture of us standing outside three phone boxes in Covent Garden. The present was a pair of green crystal earrings! From there, the clue told us to go to the phone boxes, so we walked there next.

After searching inside the four phone boxes, I came across yet another envelope and parcel! This letter was my favourite. The picture was of us both in Hyde Park, the place where we got together. We have many happy memories there having picnics by the same tree and just chatting on lazy Sunday afternoons. I opened the present and it was a beautiful new Bible. Simon had also written a lovely note inside the cover which brought a tear to my eye (because I am essentially a massive pansy).

From there we went to South Kensington, one of my favourite places in London, and walked up to Hyde Park together. As we entered the park I looked over to our favourite spot and saw that someone was having a picnic there. However, when I got closer I realised that a picnic had been set out but no one was sitting down at it! It was for us!!! Then Simon got down on one knee and proposed to me and I just burst into yet more tears and nodded and hugged him for aaaages before even looking at what was in the box. I have genuinely never seen a more beautiful ring in my entire life. We then ate cheese and crackers and olives and drank wine and I couldn't stop smiling! What was even better is that Simon had arranged for his friend Luke (a professional photographer) to hide in the bushes and take pictures of the proposal!! Such special memories captured forever! We just relaxed together and prayed and read the Bible together. Because for us, the purpose of our lives is to honour and love God. Getting married is just amazing because we will be able to love and support each other in doing this for the rest of our lives! This is such an exciting moment for us both. We are both excited for our wedding! We even began planning today :) The start of an incredible new journey that will continue for the rest of our lives, for better or for worse.

Crazy, Scary, Lovely, Amazing, Exciting, Wonderful, Loved.

http://www.lukeaylen.co.uk/a-very-special-engagement/ - Check this out for pictures!