We first met at university, studying in Manchester on the same course. For four years we crossed paths in lectures and exams, but it wasn’t until around graduation in 2019 that things finally changed. This is our first photo together, Gina seeing for herself just how bad George's eyesight is.

Straight after graduating, Gina set off on a three-month trip across Southeast Asia. A few weeks in, George joined her, and together they travelled through Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. There were night buses, mopeds, and plenty of memories made along the way.

Back in the UK, life pulled us in opposite directions: Gina working at a nuclear waste site in West Cumbria, and George at an oil refinery in Southampton. Our relationship was built on long drives, endless facetimes, and more train tickets than we’d like to admit. We would break the journeys up with stops at our parents’ houses, or at Mike and Heather’s farm which was an excellent halfway point.

Lockdown gave us the chance to spend real time together, mostly at our parents' houses, playing cards and drinking Aperol. It was during this time we learnt that we are both hyper competitive and stubborn, but a perfect match. It was the first taste of living under the same roof, and it worked better than either of us could have imagined. We both missed the hairdressers - this was, by a country mile, the best photo available for this period.

Over the next couple of years, we packed in plenty of adventures, from driving the NC500 route through the Scottish Highlands, holidays in Lisbon, Lyon, Dublin, the Isle of White and Valencia. We ran our first marathon together, back in Manchester, in October 2021. George hasn't ran since.

Finally, after a twenty-hour round trip van drive from Cumbria to London, earning George a speeding ticket, we both moved to be in the same city. Even then, we still managed to live on opposite sides of London, at least an hour apart. These years were very fun nonetheless.

The Georges were finally living together in London after years of trains, planes, and long-distance, it felt so good to finally share a home. We spent many an hour in Ikea and had more incredible trips away, including walking in Almeria, skiing in Val D'Isere and a wonderful holiday in Slovenia.

We went up to the Lake District, one of our favourite places, for a weekend of winter walking. George pulled out all the stops with the most beautiful and very ‘us’ proposal. Lots of champagne (and wedding planning) ensued. We have never been happier and are so excited for our future.