Thomas and Ellie were friends for four years before they got together. Sometimes that is just how it goes.
They met at Thomas's 18th birthday, Ellie was a friend of a friend who had been invited along. They stayed close for four years until, eventually, it became obvious that what they had was something more.
When they got together, Ellie was already a mum to a one-year-old. Four years later they are a family of four. Nora is five. Penny is three. And Thomas had been quietly thinking about proposing for a while.
How It Started
Ellie was a friend of a friend, invited along to Thomas's 18th birthday. They became good friends immediately, and stayed that way for four years - until, eventually, they both understood that what had been building between them was something rather more significant than friendship.
When they got together, Ellie was already a mum to a one-year-old daughter. Four years later, they are a family of four. Nora is five. Penny is three. And Thomas had been thinking about proposing for a while.
Doing It on His Own Terms
Thomas was clear about one thing from the start. He did not want to propose just because they were parents together. He wanted to propose because they both genuinely wanted to get married - and he wanted to have been together at least three years before asking.
He made it to four.
Thomas is a passionate vegetarian with a genuine commitment to protecting the environment. So when it came to choosing a ring, he knew from the beginning that it needed to be ethical. He went looking for ethical jewellers and found Ethica Diamonds.
And then he saw the Penelope ring.
The name of the ring felt like a sign.
Penelope. Their daughter's name. Their three-year-old Penny.
Thomas initially had one concern - Ellie is not a fan of gold jewellery. When he saw that the Penelope was available in platinum, the decision was made.
The Proposal
Thomas knew that as busy parents, anything too elaborate was not going to be realistic. So he kept it simple, personal, and completely theirs.
He filled their gazebo with candles. He set up a camera to record the moment. And when the time was right, he got down on one knee.
Ellie said yes.
She had been making jokes about him proposing for a while - convinced, it seems, that he was not particularly interested. She was wrong. He had been quietly working on something she did not know about - a video he had compiled from photographs and memories, which he surprised her with alongside the proposal.
She was really surprised. She had been making jokes about me proposing for a while and thought that I wasn't interested.
She was very interested. She just did not know it yet.
The Ring
The Penelope ring. Named, entirely coincidentally, after their daughter Penny. Set in platinum, exactly as Ellie would want. Chosen by a man who knew exactly what he was looking for and found it the moment he saw the name.
We love it when a ring finds its person like that.
Congratulations Thomas and Ellie - and Nora and Penny. Thank you for trusting us with something this important.
Share your Ethica love story with us ->
If you have an Ethica ring and a story to tell, we would love to hear it. Get in touch and we would be honoured to share it. ethicadiamonds.com
