Leaving do's and Engagement!

So after 8 and a half years I finally did the deed and asked 'the question'. For years and years I have, rightfully or not, made it abundantly clear that marriage did not bother me and that all things marriage related were just designs to make companies money and give people predictable photos. In some ways this is true but to me marriage to Shell is something quite different. I used to hate the concept of marriage but have grown to the idea over the past couple of years as Shell and I make more and more exciting plans together, it just seems so right.

So after weeks of procrastination and over-thinking I decided that I would ask her at our leaving do with our families and ask her dad, Tom, the Friday before at our leaving meal. My ultimate failing sometimes is my ability to over-plan everything, leaving me in a delicate state when things go slightly off-kilter, but what has in the past been my weakness was on this occasion my ultimate attribute. Everything worked perfectly, I got a good hour with Shell's dad to pluck up the courage to ask him, then with the knowledge safely shared between us we then proceeded to drink the house dry of all drink, leaving Ben, Shell's sister's boyfriend belting out Catholic choir songs at 4 in the morning. We then had a perfect day at our leaving do, shell's mum put on an incredible party for us folk and I found the right time to stutter out those immortal words to Shell halfway through the day. I could have picked a plethora of beautiful places to do it over the next few months but when faced with the prospect of sharing the news with family and friends, it was a complete no-brainer. The weather had been intermittently shit for the whole day until we came outside shinking the champagne glass to be met by brilliant summer sunshine just for as long as we made our announcements. Half an hour later we were met by the incredible sight of a striking double rainbow literally over the house. You cannot be fooled by coincidence or hints of fate but for a couple of hours it was as if signs were literally begging to be believed.

So to our leaving do back in Pompey, and what a bloody night! I can safely say that I have never exerienced drunkeness like that. It makes you slighty emotional, with no hint of over sentiment, to think how many close friends you have in this world. What started as a leaving do, ended in a very messy engagement party and once again, right down to how I wanted to make the announcement, everything went perfectly. Having your friends kidnap you from the bar and then throw you 6 feet in the air twenty five times will both stay with me and haunt me forever! Our band played a few classics which was in turn followed by the once-again-brilliant impressive Lex on the decks belting out soul and motown classics to resounding success. Tommo x