As most of you will know who read this, on the 20th August 2020 I proposed to Dan at Alton Towers outside Wicker Man. The process was not easy but it was worth all the effort it took. One thing that Dan always says is that he can not stand dishonesty so having to keep a secret for 2 months was an absolute killer especially as he knew that I wasn’t telling him something but didn’t know what. Anyway this is how it all happened.
It all started on the 13th July. I had just watched Dan finish his promo video for his Planet Coaster Wicker Man inspired ride “Ritual:Rise of the Beornen”. I’d been watching him for weeks building this project from scratch and we had not long come back from Alton Towers and my first ever ride on Wicker Man. The day after that trip to Towers I knew I wanted to propose to Dan and after a chat with the group, we all decided it would be good to try and get Alton Towers involved in this special occasion. We all discussed a plan on how to complete the proposal. There were other options such as Hex and The Smiler if we couldn’t get Wicker Man.
So why Wicker Man? Wicker Man was so precious to Dan. He loves the ride so much that he has Beornen runes tattoos and Alton Towers in general holds such a special place in his heart. It was the place where he visited his first scare maze “The Sanctuary” and when he fell in love with the industry. I remember him telling me how when he was 4 he used to try and wait for the Nemesis advert. But as a whole Alton Towers is just such a magical and romantic location.
The Plan was to tell Dan it was our friend Katie’s surprise birthday party to keep him off the scent and surprisingly even though he saw a group name called The Engagement he never caught on. The planning was stressful trying to keep my phone away from Dan without him thinking that something sinister was going on. There were secret phone calls, texts and even one video chat while Dan was in the room but still, he never knew.
So the day came when all the planning would come to the end and there was only one thing left to do. We set off early Dan thinking we were there for Katies Birthday and that Amber had booked a timeslot for Wicker Man. We were planning to stall at McDonald’s however knowing how Amber is for timekeeping Dan was insistent we go straight to the park which lead to a slight spanner in the works. The whole journey, I was nervous as hell because I had convinced myself there was a chance that Dan would actually say no as originally he had planned to propose to me in Phantasialand and then in Florida 2021 after COVID cancelled the trip.
But back to the park, Dan was pushing for us to go get in a queue line but we had to stall so a deceptive sit on the Alton Towers lawns and photo-taking was the next best option which served as the best time for some sleight of hand to get the rose off Amber while Dans back was turned. Little did Dan know that Ambers phonecall was to someone alot closer than what he thought , as in maybe 200ft away. Given the all-clear we headed over to Wicker Man where as planned Dan was met with the street patrol team. Knowing Dan is not a fan of child’s entertainment it was hilarious to watch him being targeted by them asking him to dance via a megaphone. After some uncomfortable photo taking it was time to take to the stage so to speak. With the rose between my cheeks being the only place to hide it, Dan was walking away getting more and more embarrassed by the second. The patrol team said to Dan “We think Dane has a question for you” Dan looking confused as ever turned round to me on one knee bearing my soul to him holding the now removed rose from my backside. I think it was at this moment that Dan nearly tripped over his own feet in shock. I asked him to marry me in front of his favourite coaster in the sight of the Wicker god behind us and the plan of two months was now a success when he said YES! Took the engagement ring that Pagan has been holding for a month or so out of the Rose disguise. Then kissed me and lifted me up in his arms. When Dan and I got back to the B&B he believed all the shocks were over but little did he know that we had also gotten The Sanctuary’s most infamous practitioner Dr Kelman to send a recording too which I honestly thought Dan was going to have a heart attack at that point. All that was left to do was to set up the BBQ and let the evening celebrations commence.
All of this could never have been possible without the help of some amazing friends from PSG’s Amber, Dom and Pagan to the fantastic Scream Camp family Calum, Frankie, Andy, Jake and Katie and Scarefest actor Thomas. But we can’t fail to mention the amazing Alton Towers team especially Team Wicker Man who showered us with some limited edition gifts and the first ride of the day on Wicker Man. Thank you Matthew and your unbelievable team for making this one of the most unforgettable days of our lives and thank you for all the wonderful messages and comments we have received since our engagement on social media.
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