The Nearlywed Diaries: Where It All Began
Angel Sanchez
July 28, 2026
Imagine this. You’re sitting outside your hotel at Universal Studios, Florida. You’re jetlagged after your flight in from London the night before, when a random man who turns out to be from Boston walks up and says hello. You spend a couple of evenings hanging out and going through haunted houses together. Then you both fly home, 3300 miles apart. And that random man, that you couldn’t have run into if you tried, will one day become your husband. Unbelievable, right? Well, that is how I met my fiancé, Ryan. Some would say it was fate, and you’ll catch us saying exactly the same thing. Six months after our chance meeting, Ryan made the first of many flights to London for a holiday. We crammed as much as we possibly could into five days. Whether that meant seeing friends and family or exploring the countryside. It was then that I knew he was the one… and that my phone bill was about to become incredibly expensive. Since meeting in September 2023, we’ve been completely inseparable. Or as inseparable as you can be with 3300 miles between you. It’s been a journey of countless flights, hotels, Airbnbs and tearful airport goodbyes. We both know Boston and Heathrow Airport like the back of our hands. Only recently have we been able to say goodbye to the distance and the FaceTime dates, as Ryan has hopped over the pond permanently to join me in the land of tea and red phone boxes. Three matching tattoos later, in April 2025, Ryan asked my father if he could have my hand in marriage. To which my father delightfully agreed. Did I mention this was only the second time they had met face to face? Long distance certainly has its challenges. Then came the big decision: which country do we get married in? When you only see your fiancé for one or two weeks at a time, three times a year, every place you visit together becomes special. We even reminisce about which petrol stations we’ve been to on our adventures. Sad but true! Ultimately, we decided to get married in North Conway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We knew straight away that we wanted an autumn wedding. Our love of Halloween is what brought us together. And what better place to get married than the foliage capital of the world? There was very limited time to view venues and lock one in, as most venues in the area for autumn get snapped up over a year in advance. Talk about a time crunch. But Stonehurst Manor stood out to us. Built in 1872, it gave us exactly the vibe we wanted. A haunted manor on a hill, with pumpkins hiding in every nook and cranny. As sad as it is to say, this will probably be the only time both of our families are in the same place at the same time. With a guest list that’s 50% American and 50% British, we have a lot to consider. However, it’s incredibly exciting to know that in just shy of seven months, the people we love most will finally be able to put faces to the names they’ve heard so much about. And we are very excited to be sharing that journey on the pages of our favourite wedding magazine. So, it’s onto the next step of wedding planning… and what the hell are we going to wear?Read more...