After five years, conquering a long distance relationship, moving in, buying a house and getting a puppy together - Katherine and Steve are getting married! They met in a tiny tech box (all will be explained) and took their first ever photo together on Palladian Bridge in a National Trust park in Bath. Five years later, they came full circle and Steve proposed to Katherine on the Palladian Bridge in Stowe, without even realising it was a paired bridge with the Palladian Bridge they had taken their first photograph on - it was meant to be! Keep reading for their full love story and all the proposal/ring details.
How did you both meet?
We met while working together! I was an intern for this live events company and Steve was an audio engineer. We got paired up together for the week working at a festival, we worked 12 hour days in a tiny tech box. It was hard work but great fun and we became good friends from it!
Have you been together long? Tell us your story!
After working together we didn’t see each other in person for about 6 months as Steve lived in Reading and I lived in Bath. We developed a friendship over that time and then eventually realised we had feelings for each other - Steve came to visit me and we then did long distance for a couple of years, including over lockdown which was quite hard but we got through it! We moved in together at the end of 2020, and decided to buy a house not long after! We’ve now been in our house for a year and a half and together for almost 5 years!
When did you know you wanted to get married?
Once we started looking into buying a house we knew that getting married was something we wanted to do as the next step. We wanted to settle into our new home and town first, plus we also just got our dog so it was a bit of a crazy year! The big turning point was at the end of last year, we were in a pretty serious car accident and my dad was also in hospital at the time after having a heart attack. Having those major life events in the space of a week put a lot into perspective. It was a rough start to the year but our relationship became even stronger from it. We wanted to do something special for ourselves after everything us and our family went through, so it seemed like the right time and it’s helped turn this year into something more positive!
What made you choose Ethica Diamonds and how did you find us?
Having an ethically sourced ring was something important to both of us. I also loved the idea of getting a ring from a small business that had more meaning behind it. I love researching things so I came across Ethica Diamonds though digging through the internet and social media! As soon as I came across Ethica Diamonds I knew that it was the place where I wanted my ring from! Their morals, story and ring designs lined up with everything I wanted, it was a perfect match!
What made you choose your beautiful bespoke ring and how did you find the ring purchasing process?
I came across the design on an Instagram post from Ethica - from the moment I saw it I fell in love and knew it was the one I wanted! I absolutely love flowers and the sunshine so seeing a sunflower inspired design completely captured my heart!
The whole experience has been phenomenal! I can’t thank the team enough for being so helpful and patient with me. I don’t wear much jewellery so it was all very new and they were so kind and reassuring throughout the whole process!
Now for the proposal! How did he do it? Was it a surprise? Give us all the details!!
Since we picked the ring together it wasn’t a complete surprise, however even though I knew he had the ring I wasn’t sure where or when he was actually going to propose!
We got engaged at Stowe Gardens, which is a National Trust in Buckinghamshire. Ever since we got together we’ve been going to National trusts, we love going on walks and exploring the countryside. Part of our dream was to be able to get a dog and take them on these little trips with us - almost 5 years later and that’s exactly what we do, our pup Gracie comes everywhere with us!
The first National Trust we went to was Prior Park in Bath, we took our first ever photo together on the Palladian Bridge. There is also a Palladian Bridge at Stowe, the bridges are a pair and the only ones in the U.K.. Something we didn’t realise at the time but has become a special part of the story as Steve proposed on the bridge so it feels like a full circle moment and is such a lovely connection, it shows how far we have come.
Have you started planning the wedding?
A little! I’m a planner so I have done some research into things just to get an idea of where to start and what we might want. We haven’t properly started looking yet but we will be soon!
We want to wish Katherine and Steve a huge congratulations on their engagement, and a lifetime of happiness! We are so happy we could be a part of their special moment, especially after everything they've been through. Roll on the wedding!
