It was February the 29th – the day that only happens every four years, so we were already expecting something a bit magical – and we waited for baited breath to hear of any girls who had gone with the traditional activity of proposing to their men.
Legend has it that this is because Queen Margaret of Scotland (then age five and living in Norway!) declared that if the man refused the proposal on that day, a fine would be levied against him. These days it’s just a bit of fun (for us) but deadly serious for girls who are fed up of waiting, prone to major acts of spontaneity, hopeless romantics or simply bonkers…
It wasn’t long before our twitter timeline was bulging with lovely tales of proposals, many just as romantic and meticulously planned as any man could do (ha! We win!). Planning a proposal can be traumatic and nerve-wracking, and that’s before you even know what he’s going to say.
Anyway, we were delighted to hear from lovely real bride-to-be Nikki Feltham this morning about how she popped the question, what he said, how they celebrated and what plans she had already made for their big day…
Wedding Ideas: How did you meet?
Nikki: We met nine years ago, through speedway (motorsport) our mutual friends did their best to set us up, but we both resisted – claiming we didn’t feel like that about each other, and we were just really good friends. We mopped up each others tears after break-ups and gave each other dating advice! We had a few sneaky snogs during this time, but it never led to anything more. Then in June 2009 our relationship started getting closer and more intimate, and in August 2009 we finally accepted we were actually meant to be together! No-one was remotely surprised!
Wedding Ideas: Tell us about the proposal – set the scene!
Nikki: I had been planning the proposal since before Christmas! My fiancés mum proposed to his dad on a leap year – so its seemed fitting, that if he hadn’t proposed before then, that I would do it. I made 12 IOU vouchers for treats through the year, like a trip to the beach, breakfast in bed and a night in a hotel, and included a voucher with an image of a proposal on it, and ‘Marry Me’ on the back. I had planned to wait a couple of hours until after dinner to give them to him, but I was too excited and nervous. So as soon as I got home, I told him I had finally finished one of his Christmas presents and gave him the pack of cards. As he reached the proposal image he joked that he had to give me the card back during the year and propose to me, to which I burst into tears and replied with ‘No, I’m asking you to marry me!’ He flung his arms around me and said ‘Of course!’ Phew!
Wedding Ideas: How did you know that he would say yes?
Nikki: We’ve spoken about getting married, and wanting children – so I knew the day would come eventually.
Wedding Ideas: Why hadn’t he asked you before?
Nikki: This was brought up after the proposal. He said he knew he was going to ask me, but didn’t know when.
Wedding Ideas: Did you tell anyone beforehand?
Nikki: My close work colleagues knew, my mum, sister and my closest friends. I turned to them for advice on what to do and how to do it. Also for moral support because I was so nervous in the days running up to it.
Wedding Ideas: Have you set a date?
Nikki: Nothing set in stone yet, but we’re looking at spring or early summer 2013.
Wedding Ideas: How did you celebrate?
Nikki: After calling and visiting our families to let them know, we opened a bottle of Champagne and got a Chinese take away!
Wedding Ideas: How do you both feel this morning?
Nikki: We’re both still grinning from ear to ear! When the alarm went off this morning, it was so exciting to say ‘morning fiancé!’ We both wish we had taken time off work so we could spend the day doing something special to celebrate. But we will be doing this with friends and family over the weekend…
Wedding Ideas: What sort of wedding will you have?
Nikki: We will be having a church wedding, in my family church, followed by something very relaxed. We want it to be a fun wedding to reflect our personalities. Plenty of food, music and dancing!
Wedding Ideas: Have you been planning already? Have you seen a dress you like? Have you been on wedding websites or even secretly buying magazines?
Nikki: One of my best friends recently asked me to be her maid of honour, so while helping her come up with ideas, I have been keeping notes for ours! I haven’t found a dress yet, but I have a few ideas of the styles I would like.
At Wedding Ideas we’d like to wish Nikki and her husband-to-be Matt congratulations and all the best for the future. Thank you for getting involved!
Rachel x
Read another blog about proposals.
Read out top tips for making a proposal.
