Emma’s version of events, as written in a winning entry for an engagament photoshoot:

“In September 2010, my partner Tom and I finally took the trip to Italy that we’d been talking about for the better part of our seven years together but never actually gotten around to, for one reason or another.  We finally threw caution to the wind and set off to see Venice (before it sinks, apparently).  We started off in Rome and were blown away by the wealth of history that is everywhere you turn.  On the third day of our trip, we went to see the Pantheon.  We wandered around, staring up at the awe-inspiring dome.  Tom said that he would like to take a photo of me standing underneath the oculus.  We located the middle of the floor and he dropped down to get the camera out of the backpack.  Once he had the camera ready, he said “I want you to look up”.  So I looked up.  And looked up… and looked up, thinking to myself “How long am I supposed to keep doing this?”.  When I looked down, Tom said “… and I want you to marry me”.  My mind just stopped.  I had nothing!!  I just stood there mumbling “ohmygod” over and over.  After what felt like an eternity, for both of us, my brain caught up and helpfully prompted “You have to say something! This is getting awkward!”.  So I crouched down too and said “Of course I’ll marry you”.  We kissed… and got told off by a French tour guide for inappropriate behaviour in a church.”

This moment was captured by a fast-thinking American tourist who noticed what was going on and managed to grab a couple of quick shots.

Oh and Tom did get his photo in the end. Afterwards we celebrated with gelato.

You can see the pictures from the engagement portrait session here.

And no, I never suspected a thing.