If you know us – or have followed us for a while – you will know that you have entered an episode of Opposites Attract. The Nixon’s house is spotless and everything has its place; the Radford’s house is ‘eclectic’ shall we say. Our Instagram page (Helen’s work) is organised and well-thought-out; our Facebook page (Jo’s work) is haphazard and reminiscent of a child in a sweet shop. Our engagement stories are no different.
The Nixons – as told by Helen
When Craig and I were first together he worked abroad in the South of France. (Small interject from Jo here: He was in the South of France, as a Bosun on a super yacht. Think Below Deck. How cool!). We did the long distance relationship for a bit and this involved us grabbing the odd weekend visit when we could – not that easy when you’re in 2 different countries (Jo: and one of you is a teacher!).
In December 2007, I went to visit Craig in Monaco where he was based at the time. Little did I know at the time but this visit was the one where Craig had planned his proposal. We had a walk around Monaco – enjoying the sights, people watching and catching up with each other. Then we headed to Monte Carlo Square to see the Christmas lights and tree. It was here, standing across from the tree that Craig proposed.
I’d like to give you all the romantic details of what he said, how he said it etc but the thing that sticks in my memory the most is how surprised I was! It was totally unexpected and left me speechless. To the extent that Craig had to ask me what my answer was! As I’m sure you can figure out for yourselves, I did say yes!
We celebrated with a glass of champagne and became officially engaged on December 1st 2007😊.