{"id":166,"date":"2025-12-12T22:29:37","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T22:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/?page_id=166"},"modified":"2025-12-18T22:46:54","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T22:46:54","slug":"how-we-met","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/?page_id=166","title":{"rendered":"How We Met"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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How We Met<\/h2><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Sophie & Alex\u2019s story begins, quite fittingly, in a theatre. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Sophie had just joined the chorus of Hello, Dolly! as a late addition – eager to get to know everyone and settle into the Norbury Theatre. Alex, meanwhile, was already a familiar face, having been part of the group since 2012. The first time Sophie heard about him was\u2026 memorable. Alex had impressively managed to rip his trousers and was hiding beneath the table. Everyone had run from backstage to the side of the stage to witness this. It was quite the introduction for them both.  <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Over the years, they remained good friends. In 2017 they found themselves working together again – for The History Boys: Sophie behind the lighting desk and Alex playing Rudge onstage. Their friendship grew, deepening further when Sophie travelled to Malaysia to visit her best friend, Nurisa. Despite the time difference, Alex stayed up into the early hours just so they could talk. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Not long after, Sophie \u201cencouraged\u201d Alex to audition for Babes in the Wood, where most of the cast was chosen, except for Guy of Gisbourne. Since she was playing Robin Hood, she dangled the irresistible promise of a sword fight – and Alex couldn\u2019t refuse. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Months of rehearsals and long hours side by side followed. A friendly pre-panto coffee date revealed that something more might be blooming. During the show\u2019s run, they decided to take a chance on their feelings – sharing their first kiss between scenes in the upstairs corridor. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Their official first date was on Valentine\u2019s Day. Alex was so earnest about making a good impression that he ironed the tablecloth (his mum knew he must be serious!) and hand-made chocolates.<\/strong>  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Years of dating brought with them new jobs, new adventures, and plenty of miles travelled – especially for Sophie, who toured the country for theatre and hopped between Coventry and Worcester more times than either of them can count. Along the way, they discovered new places, shared their love of food, film, music, nature, and the outdoors, and found joy simply in being together. With every shared moment, their relationship continued to thrive and blossom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then came Covid<\/strong> – bringing distance, uncertainty, and the challenge of no longer sharing the same city. Sophie had to leave Worcester, and the months apart were far from easy. But with the help of their families, who rallied to make sure they could see each other whenever lockdowns briefly lifted, their relationship only grew stronger. And in 2021, finally reunited without restrictions, they moved in together and began building the home they cherish today. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Years of adventures, theatre trips, and countless memories later, Alex decided it was time to find the ring which would take them on their next journey of life together. With great subtlety (and Jimmy in tow), he went to Birmingham – only to nearly reveal everything when he picked up the phone on the train, then trying to convince Sophie they were just going to Birmingham for Jimmy to get a new battery for his apple watch. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Planning the proposal became its own saga. Alex wanted it to be meaningful and unforgettable. He finally settled on the May Bank Holiday as the ideal moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sunday morning before, while Sophie was happily browsing the stalls at their favourite monthly outing – the Fold Market – Alex seized his chance to phone Jo and Ade for their blessing, which was given with warmth and enthusiasm. After the market, the two of them enjoyed a beautiful walk in the sunshine, but Alex grew increasingly worried that Sophie might have pieced together what he was planning, when overhearing Alex speaking to Ade (before Alex could turn the loud speaker off!). <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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So, in a burst of spontaneous nerves, he proposed at home in their kitchen – while Sophie was opening a cupboard. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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In the end, despite all his grand plans, the simplicity of asking her in the home they had built together felt unexpectedly perfect – quiet, honest, and entirely them. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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It may not have been the grand moment Alex first imagined, but it marked the beginning of a perfect evening. They celebrated with a meal at one of their favourite restaurants, savouring the excitement of the day, before enjoying a romantic walk by the river – wrapped up in the glow of their new chapter. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The bliss continued in the days that followed as they shared their happy news with loved ones. Each message, phone call, and joyful reaction made the moment feel even more real, filling their world with warmth and celebration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After the Bank Holiday, Sophie returned to work proudly wearing her new, sparkly ring – delighted to show her colleagues and students, who greeted the announcement with excitement and affection. Life settled back into its familiar rhythm, now tinged with the magic of being newly engaged. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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And so began a careful, joy-filled two-year journey of planning their perfect day. From the smallest details to the biggest decisions, they shaped a celebration that reflects them in every way – bringing them to this moment, ready to share their love story with everyone who has been part of it. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nngg_shortcode_0_placeholder\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sophie & Alex\u2019s story begins, quite fittingly, in a theatre.  Sophie had just joined the chorus of Hello, Dolly! as a late addition – eager to get to know everyone and settle into the Norbury Theatre. Alex, meanwhile, was already a familiar face, having been part of the group since 2012. The first time Sophie […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-no-title","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-166","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"tomc","author_link":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/?author=1"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Sophie & Alex\u2019s story begins, quite fittingly, in a theatre.  Sophie had just joined the chorus of Hello, Dolly! as a late addition – eager to get to know everyone and settle into the Norbury Theatre. Alex, meanwhile, was already a familiar face, having been part of the group since 2012. The first time Sophie…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":470,"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/166\/revisions\/470"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrandmrsstallard26.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}