“Neither of us wanted it to end, so four years later…here we are – engaged!”

Radiating with laughter and joyful memories, Róisín & Tina have always kept playfulness at the heart of their relationship. They share their proposal story (complete with treasure map and make-shift hideaway) and the thoughtful design behind their ivy-laced rings with us in our latest Customer Love Story.

How did you meet?

R: We met about four years ago online, I was living in London and Tina was down here in Bournemouth. We started talking and it just blossomed from there.

We met in May, and I was going back home to Ireland in August to go back to university for a year.

What was the moment you knew she was the one?

T: Ró is a teacher, so I think that she probably gets along with my teenage-like mind quite well. She knows how to handle me which is a good plus.

R: I guess we complement each other in a way.

Is there a favourite memory you share together?

R: I remember when we first started dating, I took Tina sightseeing in Dublin and we went to the Leprechaun museum. Because I was still studying, I got a student discount and Tina was wearing this awesome t-shirt which said ‘always be yourself…unless you can be Batman. Then always be Batman’.

The person behind the till looked at Tina and said “Oh, you like Batman?” and Tina was like “Yeah!” so the person behind the till said “Right you’re a student of Batman, I‘ll give you student discount too!” It was so hilarious. I ended up stealing that t-shirt from her!

What is it about each other that makes you smile in addition to quirky t-shirts?

T: I think Ró can be very randomly funny and silly. We can have the most serious discussion and the next moment she can be dancing around and doing some funny wiggles.

R: I love dancing with Tina in the kitchen.

How did you decide to get engaged?

T: I was going to Switzerland for a couple of months. And we hadn’t really spent that amount of time apart for a while. Ró had gone back to Ireland for a year but that was at the beginning of the relationship.

So I was missing her the first few days. And I was just like “Yeah ok, that’s it. I need to bind her to me for good.”

Because I had a lot of time in Geneva, I started making plans. All of my ideas, y’know, going to Durdle Door or Jurassic coast and proposing there, like everyone else does.

When it actually came to the proposal, just two weeks before, Róisín had mentioned that she’d never made a proper fort from blankets as a child. And I thought that can’t be!

So I came up with the idea of creating a blanket fort in our living room and made it look like a pirate cave with treasure inside. I connected the ideas of proposing with the treasure, by making it a treasure hunt where Ró would have to find the ring in the fort.

R: I had no idea at all because she was texting me all day about work stuff. She even asked me if I’d pick up the shopping on the way home from school. It was a regular day and I came home to Tina handing me a map to go and hunt for treasure around the apartment.

But I really didn’t have a clue. Tina had scattered the fort with chocolate coins – I was thrilled about the chocolate! Then I saw the box. And I had found a key for the lock and I opened it up and was stunned by the ring.

R: Then she told me how much time she’d spent designing my ring, going through different designs and stones with her design consultant for months to make sure it was perfect.

A couple of days later, I emailed Tina’s design consultant saying that I’d like to design a ring for my girlfriend. So she had to go through the whole process again with me trying to perfect Tina’s ring. She did a beautiful job. I suppose it was easier for me because I knew what kind of ring Tina wanted.

Her ring has an ivy, natural theme thing because Tina is big into plants and nature. So I knew what I wanted for Tina and my design consultant was amazing at seeing that and creating this beautiful ring for us. It matches my one but is also different at the same time, like us!

The colour of Paraiba tourmalines is our favourite colour. I don’t think the rings would have been quite as beautiful to us if they had a diamond instead.

What plans do you have for the future?

T: The next plan is the wedding.

R: Yes, the wedding. We’re going to get married in Germany, that’s where Tina’s family are and my family love to travel, so that’s our next big adventure. We’re taking our time with the planning – trying to enjoy every step of the stress that is a wedding. We’re using Pinterest to get lots of ideas.

T: It’s nice because you see a picture and think you know what you want and then you see another and think ‘Ohhhh I like that too’.

R: Then you end up with hundreds of pins on your board that you might never use, but they’re all great ideas!

Sometimes we don’t have to go hunting for treasure, it’s right there in front of us. We can’t think of a more playful and fun-loving couple and we hope there are many more blanket forts in their futures. Congratulations again to Róisín & Tina!