Lisa and Allan met in modern fashion on a dating app over Christmas 2019 but didn’t meet in person until February 2020; it turned out that Allan was only in the UK to see family at Christmas and was actually living in Dubai! “He came back to the UK on a business trip in February, and we met up for a drink and then another couple of dates during the week he was here,” recalls Lisa. “It was all a bit of a whirlwind, but we knew straight away that we really liked each other and who was going to let the matter of a couple of thousand miles come between us!” After Lisa then visited Allan in Dubai, both the UK and the UAE were going into lockdown due to the pandemic, she didn’t know when they might see each other again. “Allan had always wanted to move back to the UK and that plan was brought forward in the April when he was made redundant and decided it was time to put that plan into action,” adds Lisa. “In June 2020 he arrived back, with all his worldly possessions from living overseas for nearly 30 years following behind in a shipping container! It seems a bit mad after only spending 10 actual days together, but we were suddenly living together during lockdown in the UK! Luckily for us our instinct about each other was spot on and our relationship continued to go from strength to strength.” After the whirlwind start to their relationship, Allan’s proposal was just as exciting which took place in Koh Samui, Thailand on Valentine’s Day 2022. “We’d gone out for a holiday but also to check on a condo he owned on the island that, for obvious reasons, he hadn’t been able to travel to and check on during lockdown. It was very romantic, being served dinner on the beachfront but the proposal was a complete surprise. We both knew we wanted to be together and that it would lead to marriage eventually, but I was surprised when he suddenly produced a ring and asked me to marry him. I had no hesitation in saying yes!” The big date was set, 10th September 2022, with Leatherhead Registry Office and The Station pub Nutfield, Surrey setting the scene. Top planning tip: Concentrate on the overall look and feel you want to achieve and build around that. We decided to focus a large chunk of our budget on a free bar, yes it meant we had to be inventive in other areas, but we really wanted to create a party atmosphere and a free-flowing bar was one of our requirements for this! 44
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