Being alone during the pandemic had a profound affect on Kelly. It allowed her to slow down and reflect on what she cherished in life. She realised that she hadn’t been prioritising what she really wanted: her own family. So, on her birthday she made a wish and a decision to meet her soulmate. That night she created her profile on a dating website. The next morning she woke up to an amazing message from Erika. “I knew I had to respond, and it was the best thing I ever did,” she says. By the time it was safe for the couple to meet, Kelly already knew Erika was the one. “Meeting her was like coming home,” she explains, “I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life.” Wishes really do come true. When the time came, Erika planned the most romantic of proposals. She took Kelly for a Champagne picnic on Thurstaston Beach and on the walk back they turned a corner into a clearing where Kelly was speechless to find the most beautiful white horse, her mane beautifully plaited with roses. Kelly has been mystified by white horses ever since childhood, so to her this was a magical sight indeed. Erika guided her over to a nearby bench taking a pouch from the mare who drew closer. She removed an engagement ring from it and got down on one knee. “My heart stopped,” Kelly remembers. “I was in shock but so happy.” In fact, it took her a moment to realise that their eventual wedding photographer Jaine had popped out of a nearby bush to take photos. She’d helped Erika to plan the most amazing proposal for Kelly. There was even more exciting news to come though! In 2009, Erika set up Pride Angel, a parenting connection website for anyone wishing to be a sperm donor, egg donor, or co-parent. As a microbiologist with the aspiration to have her own child as a lesbian woman, she wanted to find a known donor rather than someone anonymous. She also wanted to support other people in the same circumstances, helping them to achieve their dream of becoming parents. Soon after Erika met Kelly, she became pregnant with her second child from the same known donor found through her website. Becoming a mum was Kelly’s dream, but she never imagined it would happen so soon for her, first to Eva Rose, Erika’s first daughter, and then nine months later, to Aria. Kelly embraced her role without hesitation. Today, three years after the birth of Aria, Kelly is herself expecting the couple’s third child with the same known donor with whom they keep in contact. But we’ve jumped ahead, so back to the big day! Originally, the couple had planned to tie the knot in 2025, but being pregnant spurred them on to get married sooner. So, they wasted no time and organised their big day in just over six weeks! Read on as we find out more from Kelly and Erika... I DO, I DO, I DO Not only did photographer Jaine Briscoe-Price capture the couple’s magical engagement, she was also their wedding photographer and celebrant. “Jaine provided the most fabulous ceremony,” Erika tells us. “The words she put together after listening to both Kelly’s and my story made it an incredibly personal moment covering lots of precious memories of our life together so far,” Erika remembers. This also included a sand ceremony in which their daughters took part as well as the baby on the way. “She truly made our day every bit as memorable as it could have been with this beautiful touch,” Erika says. REAL WEDDINGS 25
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