THE ONE WITH THE SURPRISE

I flew to from Australia to Mallorca to surprise Oliver after three months apart and we caught that moment on camera! Not an easy secret to keep 🙈💗 #reunited #lovesavestheday #misshim #perfect #love #happygirl #bestfriend #surprisevisit #longdistancerelationship #takemeback

A video posted by Lily (@lilyblogslife) on Jul 4, 2016 at 4:17pm PDT

When my mother and I decided that it would be quite a nice idea to surprise my boyfriend, Oliver, by turning up in Mallorca for his sister’s wedding, halfway through our time apart, we definitely failed to recognise quite how much deception this surprise was going to involve.

I spoke to Oliver almost every day on Whatsapp while we were apart, and for those three months I managed to contain my excitement enough to keep the secret. The fact that I didn’t accidentally blurt out what I was planning to wear to the wedding, or how much I was looking forward to seeing him, during one of our many Skype calls was a miracle. But, finally, the time came for me to board my plane to Mallorca from London, after flying back from Sydney a few days prior to that. By this point I was completely terrified that he was going to find my sudden appearance more traumatic than romantic.

I had spent the week before the surprise telling Oliver that I was in Brisbane, that I was busy handing out CVs, looking for a new job, and settling in to my new hostel. In reality, I had been making the mammoth journey down the east coast of Australia back to Sydney, flying from Sydney to Hong Kong to London, travelling back home, and finally setting off again a few days later – after a nail appointment, of course – to fly from London to Mallorca, where the wedding was taking place.

I was met at the airport by Oliver’s lovely parents who had helped me keep the secret (along with everyone else in the bridal party!) since I booked my flights. As I landed in Mallorca, all the wedding guests who had already arrived were on a boat trip, due to get into Palma port at about an hour after I turned up. At this point I was a nervous wreck. I couldn’t even stop my hand from shaking as I drank a couple of mojitos with Oli’s parents in a bar by the port. Before I knew it, the boat was pulling in and it was time to walk out for the surprise. Here’s the full video!

It’s a shame the video quality isn’t great, because the look on Oliver’s face when he first saw me was completely priceless - he had absolutely no idea I was turning up! I definitely hadn’t anticipated my surprise to be such a public event, but I ended up feeling really pleased with the way it played out, because it was such a fun way to appear. Needless to say Oliver was thrilled to see me (as I was to see him), and it really was something I’m going to remember fondly for many years to come.

Thank you to everyone on the boat who kept the secret for me, and to all of Oliver’s family for their help organising such a special moment.