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Gail & Lisa's Proposal: A Very Northern Love Story (featuring Dogs, DIY and a Lot of Yorkshire Tea)
- Danielle Winship
- Feb 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 4
Some love stories start in a bar.
Some start at work.
Gail and Lisa’s started online… and involved a scavenger hunt. Which, honestly, tells you everything you need to know about these two.
They are proudly gay, unapologetically northern, obsessed with Yorkshire Tea, and utterly devoted to their two dogs, The Ginger Whirlwind - Gertie; and Romanian Rescue Dog - Billy. Their lives are filled with half-finished DIY projects, bungalow renovations, muddy boots, campervan adventures and a kind of love that’s practical, playful and deeply rooted.
And when it came to proposals? Of course it was never going to be ordinary.
The First Proposal (a.k.a. The Scratch Card Incident)
At Christmas, Gail decided to pop the question to Lisa with a scratch card. A cute idea. A solid plan. Except… Lisa scratches cards in a completely chaotic order.
So instead of a neat little “Will you marry me?” reveal, she uncovered random letters, shapes and confusion. Did that stop the magic? Absolutely not.
Lisa said yes anyway – because when it’s right, it’s right (even if the execution is questionable).
Enter: Gail’s 50th Birthday & the “50 for 50” Surprises
Fast forward to Gail turning 50. Lisa, being Lisa, decided to organise 50 surprises for her 50th birthday. Casual.
One of those surprises was a quiet tea and cake stop at Evenley Wood Garden – the very place they’ve chosen to get married.
And because Gail and Lisa never do anything without intention, Lisa chose the date carefully.
25th April — the perfect date, if you know the reference.
Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right.
But there was one very special surprise still to come.
Gail had always said that if she were ever proposed to, it needed rainbows and balloons. So Lisa slid into my DM's and said: “Can you help me propose to my fiancée… again?”
Reader, I was IN.
A Secret Woodland Proposal (with a 5am Start)
Under the guise of a dog walk and a promise of tea and cake, Gail and Lisa were lured into the woods with Billy and Gertie. Meanwhile, I’d been on site since 5am, quietly turning a hidden corner of Evenley Wood Garden into a rainbow-filled proposal dream.
In the forest school area – a secret, VIP-only woodland space – I set up:
Caterpillars of rainbow balloons, wrapped playfully around the trees
Rainbow windmills lining the path, catching the light and gently guiding them forward
Vases filled with roses, yellow tulips and carnations – their favourite flowers; tulips being the first flowers Gail ever bought Lisa - in their pink and yellow colour palette
Rainbow bunting draped from a huge suspended canvas shelter 🌈
And a beautifully styled tea and cake setup waiting nearby, complete with teapots, cups and saucers, picnic baskets and even doggy cupcakes 🐾
It was joyful, colourful, soft, and full of intention – exactly like them
Undercover Bird Watchers & a Slightly Wrong Turn
To capture the moment, Elliot Patching and Kevin Potter were hired… disguised as bird watchers.
Because obviously.
In very Gail fashion, she decided to go off-piste and walk the route the wrong way. For a moment, we all held our breath.
But somehow – miraculously – they ended up exactly where they were meant to be.
Rainbows. Balloons. Flowers.
Lisa proposed.
Gail said yes (again).
And the moment was captured beautifully.
Some moments are better Seen than Explained 🌈:
Tea, Cake, Dogs & That Quiet Kind of Magic
Afterwards, they wandered the woods again with Billy and Gertie, had a relaxed photo shoot, and finally discovered the full tea and cake setup waiting for them – shabby chic greenhouse, shed and shelter included.
No rush. No pressure. Just space to be.
The photos and video are everything I love most: natural, honest, full of personality and completely unforced. Simple love, done well.
Why Evenley Wood Garden Matters
This wasn’t just a proposal location.
Evenley Wood Garden is a legacy place.
It’s somewhere you don’t just visit once. With a yearly pass, it becomes part of your life – dog walks, quiet afternoons, changing seasons, big moments and small ones too. Engagements. Weddings. Anniversaries. Random Tuesdays when you just need some trees and a deep breath.
For Gail and Lisa, it’s already woven into their story. And I suspect it will be for many years to come.
Thinking About Proposing?
Yes – this is me gently telling you that I do this 💛
If you’re dreaming of an engagement or proposal setup that feels like you – whether that’s woodland magic, colour explosions, quiet intimacy or joyful chaos – I’d love to help.
And if you want a place that holds your story long after the question’s been asked, Evenley Wood Garden is something really special.
(We were very late posting this – it happened last year – but honestly? Some stories are worth waiting for.)
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