The world was all a bit gloomy back in 2020, but we are lucky enough to have a good reason to remember that year. Between all the lockdowns, mask mandates, and ill-advised online tinder dates, a foreign travel ban meant that I (Caroline!) had to get creative with my holiday plans.

Despite the family thinking I live in the perma-tanned Spanish oasis you all see on 'Escape to the Sun', we don't get a lot of sun up here in Galicia, so I high-tailed it down south for a few weeks.

Passing through Madrid, Toledo, and Cuenca (I highly recommend all of these!), I ended up on a small terrace in Valencia and overheard a waiter trying to explain to two foreigners that you weren't allowed to smoke in public anymore. A quick translation, some lovely conversation, and a terrible hangover later. I was on my way back to La Coruña with a few new friends in my contact list.

My future husband, the smoking-where-he-shouldn't-be new friend, had all but missed his chance to become Michael Knight until 2022, when I found myself back in Valencia for a week and we met again.

Since then, a whirlwind brought Mike to live with me here in La Coruña, and we began to build a life together. I know that not many of you in England or the Netherlands have had much of a chance to see us during this time, a side-effect of my well-known scaredy-catness when it comes to air travel. When we do see you, I hope you'll think that we make a good couple!

After settling into a new flat, arguments about who cleans more aside (it's definitely me) - we began to think that both of us working from home presented an opportunity which we were wasting, so a drunken evening on Airbnb and some questionable financial decisions led us to spending three months in Southern France.

There, with family around us and on a sunny day, is where he asked me to marry him, quickest yes ever!

And there we have it, an English girl and a Dutch boy plan to live happily ever after in Northern Spain, and we hope you'll come to celebrate it with us!

As a side note, we really understand that we are asking a lot of many of you by getting hitched in Spain. Our dream is to have our family and friends around us for an epic party, but since we love each and every one of you, we will be raising a glass that night to everyone, whether you can make it or not.

All our love,

Caroline and Michael.

Photos