Elliot and I met on Banana Beach in Tel Aviv in August 2013 when we were celebrating the weddings of our respective friends. Knowing of each other through mutual friends, he tagged along with my group of friends to enjoy the rest of the evening. We chatted while strolling down the promenade and while I tried very hard to interpret his thick Scottish accent, the cynic in me thought ‘nice guy, nice night, case closed’. Facebook helped us to connect and we got to know each other a bit more. I was living and working in Manchester and Elliot, who lived in London, was about to take a trip to Columbia so there was no way we’d have a chance to meet for a while.
Fast forward 6 weeks to our first date in London. I was working in retail so my weekends off were scarce and precious but I was intrigued to know if there was a face-to-face connection after weeks of texting. Turns out…there was. So, that was the start to our year and a half long-distance relationship, all the while still trying to register Elliot’s charming Scottish accent. We had to factor time into everything: my unsociable retail hours, our late night phone calls, fabulous date destinations and the Virgin Train timetable.
Last August, I took the plunge and moved to London. Faced with a new job, a new city, new apartment and having a full time boyfriend, the only challenge to this was downsizing my closet!! How did we ever go three weeks without seeing each other? Three days apart seemed forever. So…what was he waiting for?!
Elliot and I travelled to Florence to celebrate my Birthday in January of this year. The morning of my birthday, I opened a few cards that my family had sent me and thought it to be a bit strange that Elliot didn’t write me a card…typical…he forgot!! That afternoon we went to Piazza Michaelangelo, avoided an infuriating busker and took in the stunning view. Elliot pulled an envelope from his coat and asked me to open my Birthday card. I opened it to find a beautiful message (which I could barely read for his illegible handwriting) and an engagement ring taped to the bottom of the card. I was so surprised, in awe of a beautiful family heirloom and elated with happiness, that I burst into tears.
We are planning a contemporary, elegant and romantic Jewish wedding at The Midland Hotel in Manchester. We chose the Midland for its beautifully ornate and luxurious spaces. We love the grandeur of the building and there are plenty of great spots throughout the building for photos. We will have lots of out-of-town visitors so it’s perfectly located right in the heart of Manchester City Centre.
As a 32 year old bride, I thought that planning a wedding would be a breeze- I’d been to countless weddings, am confident in my likes and dislikes and I’ve organised numerous Boxing Day designer handbag sales (which is an operation of great proportion!) but the options available are mind blowing! I’m very passionate about having a meaningful and beautiful chuppah ceremony and choosing amazing music for the party. Spotify playlists take my imagination on a journey every morning so deciding on our actual playlist could take hours!
With four months until the wedding, planning is in full swing but I’m most excited about what the day will mean for me: a day where my friends and family will all be together to watch me marry the guy I met, when perfect timing was least expected!
Karen will be marrying Elliot on 6th November 2016 at the The Midland Hotel , Manchester.
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