We know how much you all love engagement stories, so we thought we’d bring you a very touching story of two lovely ladies, Sarah and Megan. We chatted with Sarah about the first date, the proposal and their love for each other.
Tell us about how you met.
Do you want the real story or the fake one?
Always the real!
We met on a phone app. I did not have a photo up as I had just come out and I was living in a small town. Megan was living in Sydney which was three hours south of my home, and she had never spoken to anyone without a photo! I guess that is the first bit of fate?
Sounds like she dropped her guard?
We ended up meeting on the 31st of March 2012 with friends in Cronulla for a few drinks.
So how was the first date?
As Megan was just out of a very long relationship, her intention was to meet new friends. For me though, let’s just say I knew before I met her that I wanted to marry her.
Were you nervous?
Way too nervous! I did the natural/unnatural thing and drank way too much in hope for some extra confidence.
It clearly worked out for you!
It did! We ended up having our first kiss. After that we never really dated as we lived so far apart. As time passed we saw each other on weekends which lead to many nights laying on the beach in summer.
Sounds romantic!
We were definitely enjoying the start of something pretty special.
Let’s talk about the proposal. Who asked who?
We always kind of knew that I would be the one to propose to Megan. She said after the proposal that she wanted to have a ring ready as a double surprise, but I caught her off guard as we had just bought a home and she did not expect it to be so soon.
That’s so sweet!…time never waits for love though! How did you pop the question?
Well I have grown up with my grandparents living around the corner. They are my favourite people in the world and they have always been very supportive of Megan and I, seeing her as an extra granddaughter. A few weeks before I had planned to propose to Megan I found out that Pa sadly had months to live. The possibility of him being at our wedding, which was always a dream for me was looking pretty slim, so I decided to have them part of the proposal somehow. I made a video of Nan and Pa talking about how much they love Megan. At the end of the video Pa asked Megan a favour…”would you please marry our granddaughter?”
Ah this makes my heart melt! What happened next?
I took Megan down to the beach, with blankets, pillows and music on the laptop, as we always did, so nothing was out of the ordinary. I jumped on to the laptop and showed her the video, pulling the ring out from under the blanket right when Pa asked her to marry me.
And she said yes!
Yes! We took a few photos on the beach before heading home. I had always promised Megan a bottle of Dom Perignon on the day we got engaged, so I organised my sister to have one there waiting for us, along with my parents, Megan’s parents, and Nan and Pa.
A bottle of Dom is always a great way to start a party!
It is! We partied all night long until both our mothers ended up crying of happiness and dancing on the table!
Have you started planning the wedding?
We have booked a heritage house outside of town called Stanly Park for the 7th of October this year. Some people describe it as the house from The Notebook! We will get married under a huge oak tree and then have the reception in the barn.
It sounds absolutely perfect! Now on to more often than not the most entertaining question, any quirks or habits that you love, or may not love, about each other?
Megan says, “Sarah has the ability to make five new friends in a shopping centre and learn half their life story in three minutes, which never allows us to have a quick trip to the shops. Sometimes I wonder how on earth she gets to know something so personal about someone in the space of two minutes!”
And as for me, Megan isn’t the best at changing the toilet roll holders, although one day she made up for it by writing a letter on the empty roll and leaving it for me to find.
Time to write a letter but not change the toilet roll!
It was pretty awesome.
Anything else you would like to share with us?
Megan doesn’t know I’m mentioning this, but I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when I was 19 years old. Megan’s Aunty actually passed away from it a couple of years before we met, so she understands the illness fairly well. She’s also a nurse, so it is not unusual for her to look after patients who have limited mobility. I know it was a very hard decision for her to consider if she could take all of this on board knowing that one day I could wake up and it could be me that can’t walk or talk. The thought of her having to come home and keep working around the clock to look after me was almost enough to walk away. My guilt was horrific and I did not want to put her through that type of pain. In the end however, the idea of not being together was not an option. At times it can be tough, however I have not relapsed for 5-6 years and I am healthier than ever. I will never be thankful enough for having her by my side. As cheesy as it sounds, I honestly feel like love cured me.
We look forward to catching up with Sarah and Megan after their October wedding to hear all about their special day. All the best ladies!