How many times have you seen ‘Likes country walks and a glass of wine beside a roaring fire’ on a dating profile? Do you wonder if it’s true? Well, Helen saw this phrase in Derek’s profile, and liked it. They connected, and after only a very short period of time exchanging messages, they decided to meet up. Derek actually lived up to the hype, and after a walk, and a glass of wine in a country pub, by the aforementioned roaring fire, they discovered that they really hit it off. Being asked to leave by the staff at closing time was a clue! They met again the next day, and it very quickly became apparent that the two of them had a lot in common, and they began dating. Nine months later, Derek had to move from Swindon to Salisbury for work, which led to a lot of time spent travelling between the two towns. Within the first three months, Helen was maybe, sort of, kind of, accidentally looking at job openings in Salisbury, and less than a year after Derek had moved, Helen had found a new job, worked her three months’ notice and followed Derek to Salisbury. As you can see, it didn’t take long for them to decide that this was a serious relationship, but after a year of dating, they hadn’t quite managed to meet each other’s families yet. Helen had a reasonable excuse, as she’s from Germany, and her family is over the other side of a good-sized piece of water, but Derek was living with his Dad for some of that time. Helen was beginning to wonder if there was something odd going on, but no, not really, just circumstances not adding up. So, not long after Helen moved in with him Derek is starting to think about engagement rings. Helen, inconveniently, doesn’t wear a lot of jewellery, so he had to ask her directly what her ring size was, but then he spent so long trying to find a ring that he liked that she’d actually forgotten about the conversation by the time he got round to proposing. Do you get the idea that Derek sometimes moves very slowly indeed? Derek wasn’t actually doing nothing, he assures us, but it was only when he found the Ethica Diamonds website that things started to look up for Helen. Derek was attracted to the choice and affordability of our rings, but also the fact that we’re a small family business, and have strong environmental credentials as well. And so we come to the proposal. Here’s where Derek wins prizes for sneakiness and romance… Look at this lovely bundle of fluff... ! In November 2017, the pair had planned a weekend away in a lovely hotel in the New Forest, where afternoon tea is one of the star features, before returning to collect a rough collie puppy in the afternoon. There had been a lot of work and sorting out to do before the arrival of the puppy, and the focus had been on that, as far as Helen was concerned. So she was completely taken by surprise when Derek proposed, while they were at the hotel. The Adeline diamond solitaire ring that Derek had chosen, in platinum, is gorgeous, and Helen loves it. She was also impressed when their afternoon tea turned up with champagne, to complete the celebration. And to cap it all off, Barley, the new puppy, is totally adorable. Utterly lovely and stunning in its simplicity, the Adeline engagement ring beautifully showcases the round brilliant centre diamond. When it came to wedding rings, Derek, again, had a clear idea of what he wanted, but couldn’t find it. His idea was for a pair of platinum rings, to match Helen’s engagement ring, but with a hidden channel of rose gold in the underside, that would be a secret for the two of them. Derek came back to Ethica Diamonds, and Tony, who designs our bespoke jewellery, created a design that perfectly matched Derek’s vision. Derek and Helen’s wedding was held in December 2018, at the Three Daggers pub, microbrewery and hotel, not far from Salisbury. It was an intimate family event, in the unusual setting of the brewery itself. The evening celebration in a marquee outside was also very relaxed, with beautiful hand-made decorations, and a theme of red and burgundy. Barley was brought in by friends, as a surprise visitor, to the delight of our happy pair. Helen remarked that it rained on their wedding day, not as much as on the days before and after, but it was wet. And setting up the marquee, sliding around in the mud, was hard work. But most of their dates had taken place in the rain, so it’s kind of appropriate, really. We’re not taking it as a metaphor for anything bad happening to them. Maybe it’s showers of good fortune and happiness… We wish them a long and happy marriage, with lots of long walks, and glasses of wine by roaring fires. With thanks to www.ferlapaolo.com for some of the wedding pictures. For more about Barley, check out his Instagram @oats.barley.
Derek and Helen - the one with the puppy
