They met on the streets of their hometown 21 years ago. Eloping four years later, they’ve been living as a married couple for 17 years, now with two children. The love story they share—a story of separation, defiance, and cultural intricacies—seems like it was torn from the pages of a novel. But what they’ve been through together is no fairy tale. This is real love.
Having met fourteen years ago while studying at the University of Manchester, Nik and Vaivara have been married for the past seven years and recently welcomed a set of twin girls into the world. The past decade has seen immense change and growth in their relationship, culminating in the birth of their wonderful daughters, so in this interview we’re getting to the bottom of how a person’s relationship to love itself matures over time.
For this couple, love began 47 years ago in a flower shop in Birmingham. Alan, then a university student, came to the shop to begin work as a delivery driver during his Christmas holiday from university and there he met the young florist working behind the counter, Betty. The rest is history.
In our Love Through The Ages series, we’re setting aside the checklists, spreadsheets, and anticipation of wedding planning in order to dive deep into what love looks like beyond the proposal. Because love isn’t an event. It’s something we embody each day.
Journalist Mignon McLaughlin said that “a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” To get to the heart of what love becomes over time, we’re starting our new series: Love Through the Ages. We’ll be speaking to couples at every stage of a relationship—from newlyweds to those celebrating a Diamond Anniversary—to get a sense of what true love looks like in all its forms.
Read the love story of Ali and Shannon that we guarantee will make you smile. Ali shares details on how he designed a bespoke engagement ring for his now fianceé, Shannon, and talks us through the moment he got down on one knee.
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DismissThe only thing that makes a lab created diamond different from a natural diamond is its origin. A lab-created diamond is grown inside a lab using cutting-edge technology that replicates the natural diamond growing process. They carry an identical crystal structure and aesthetic to a natural diamond as well as a lower price point.
Natural diamonds are created by nature, as a result of intense heat and pressure, formed over the course of millions of years. Steeped in romance, natural diamonds have proven to retain their value over time and can even multiply in value.
