Natalie wanted to share their love history with us:

Six weeks into our relationship, I suggested a trip away to Beer, in Devon. We immaturely laughed over the ‘Beer pharmacy’, discovered Leo’s love of Captain Morgan’s in a quaint little pub, and realised we would both only entertain the idea of surrounding ourselves with border collies.
After eight years, Beer was a special place to us.

Through what Leo now describes as his power of suggestion, we planned a post Lockdown weekend away travelling from Cornwall to Dorset, with Leo insisting on a walk from Beer to Branscombe.

On the lead up to the walk, it has now emerged that we were both plotting. I had found a vintage bottle of veuve cliquot labelled 2012, (the most hilarious suggestion that our relationship was now “vintage”), and Leo had another surprise entirely. With me trying to sneakily chill and store the bottle for our walk, and Leo trying to find a hiding place of his own, neither one of us was paying much attention to the suspicious behaviour of the other. All we were both thinking, was that this place was important to us.

We walked across the bay with our collie in the place we first agreed we’d one day have one, and descended the long path to Branscombe beach.

The winding path was longer than I remembered and Scout’s enthusiasm for speed was making the champagne filled rucksack seem a burden. Leo suggested we turn left at the end of the path and the additional steps were something I was not keen on. Huffing and complaining as he kept increasing the distance to the perfect spot, I was relieved to find myself staring into the ocean view rather than the camera, when he insisted on an impromptu photo shoot. I’d become accustomed to Leo wanting to document every moment with Scout and felt sure I wasn’t the primary focus of what I considered an unnecessary hike to the base of the cliff edge.

Leo muttered something about a rogue root causing havoc and asked me to turn around, revealing him on one knee, and prompting my disbelief.

After eight years, whilst I had always imagined the perfect proposal, I’d never thought about how to react. One proposal video always stands out in my mind because the woman was left in such shock that she threw the apple core she was nibbling at her partner’s head. Leo may feel my response was worse.

I laughed.

Then I said nothing.

Then I laughed again.

Suffice to say, this was not the reaction either one of us anticipated. And I fear, it’s not one Leo is likely to let me forget. Previous discussions predicted tears. This is by no means a comprehensive or exhaustive list, but some things I have been known to cry over include Car SOS; the thought of getting another puppy; someone on tv saying something sad; my best friend getting married; any proposal: real, imaginary or televised; heartfelt messages in cards, and more recently, seeing someone else cry.

So it’s fair to say, we both expected tears.

Alas, for a very brief and inappropriate moment, I had full and disappointing control of my faculties.

But in a state of shock, I laughed. Here we were, in the perfect place, with our perfect family, with my perfect ring. The overwhelming sense of excitement burst out of me because it really was dreamlike. I couldn’t have planned this better myself.

For us both, the initial moment was private, perfect, and a dreamy haze.

We sat on the shore sipping my secret champagne and Leo recalled the tall tales he’d spun me in the months leading up to this: he and Scout inspecting the ring at the jewellers; clandestine conversations and secret meetings to seek permission from my parents; elaborate details of meetings he hadn’t really attended, and what he thought of the people he hadn’t actually gone to meet.

Best of all, he’d documented the plan with photos of everyone at every moment.

I couldn’t have planned it better myself.

Chatting, laughing and listing the people we needed to call, the happy bubble we formed on the beach created a haze for the rest of the day. The only thing that was certain, was that the walk from Beer to Branscombe, the trip we revisited that day, had unquestionably become the most special place of all.