The longest goodbye

Helen Todd, 39, Bangor

Grasping his hand in mine, I slid the gold ring onto David’s finger.

‘In sickness and in health, till death us do part,’ I echoed after the vicar.

And with the exchange of vows, we were ready to start the rest of our lives together.

‘I’ve never been so happy,’ I whispered in David’s ear as we posed for pictures with friends and family.

And I truly meant it.

After meeting in a bar three years earlier, in October 2003, I’d quickly realised David, then 23, and I were meant for one another.