Nicole Lauren, a 27-year-old content creator from Manchester, found love on a spontaneous trip to Benidorm, leading to an engagement and plans for a destination wedding in Cyprus.
A Chance Meeting
Nicole and her best friend had originally planned a night out in Liverpool but decided to book a last-minute getaway to Benidorm instead. They ended up staying at the same hotel as Josh, 23, who was in the Spanish city from Middlesbrough for his future brother-in-law's stag do. Josh had lost his phone the night before.
“We got talking around the pool during the day. As me and my friend were getting ready to go up to the room and go for food, he picked up my things and offered to walk back with us,” Nicole recalled. Due to Josh's phone situation, he used a friend's Instagram account to arrange a meal with the pair.
A Blossoming Romance
“We agreed and ended up on the strip in Benidorm, me, my friend and Josh, and had a brill time. We went to see Sticky Vicky, then he went home the next day and we continued to text and call,” she continued. “The weekend I got back from Benidorm, we met up halfway in Leeds and grabbed some dinner. I was introduced to his mum and sister on FaceTime and was invited to his sister's wedding later that year. This is where I asked him his age, but I was already in love.”
The couple took turns travelling to Teesside and Manchester hotels on weekends and made their relationship official while staying in a log cabin with a hot tub near Middlesbrough. Josh also joined Nicole on a family holiday, where Nicole said she 'couldn't keep her dad apart from him.'
Moving for Love
Nicole said, “I knew he was the one by the way he treats his mum, his sister and all of his mum's friends. He has such a good relationship with all of them and has so much respect. Also, seeing him with his daughter melts my heart. There's nothing more I could want.”
In October, Nicole moved to Josh's area, risking her 8-year career. “We first spoke about living in Manchester, but there’s no way we would have done that with Josh having his little girl, it just wasn’t even a question. I spoke to my work and told them I was looking to move and they said see how it goes and how often I need to be in the office, so I technically risked my 8-year career by moving!”
“His family welcomed me with open arms and treat me as one of their own, always making sure I’m not feeling on my own so far away from my family. His mum often cooks us Sunday dinners and his sister FaceTime's me every day.”
A Christmas Proposal
As the youngest of her siblings, Nicole's first experiences with babies were with Josh's daughter. “She has taught me so much and I feel so proud watching her grow up. The relationship we have built together is unmatched,” she said.
The proposal came on Christmas Day while the couple was staying with Josh's sister's family. “They pretended to play a game where you have to stand up and say what you are thankful for. On my turn, before I’d even fully stood up he was already on one knee proposing. My mum was on FaceTime to his sister so everyone got to watch, and we have booked our wedding for Cyprus next year!”
Nicole's advice: “My advice would be to not go looking for it. Delete the apps, stop going out with the intentions of finding someone because it happens when you least expect it and in the most natural way, no forcing.”
