Now this may seem irrelevant. But trust me, it's wedding related. I promise...

Poppy and I have been best friends for half our lives (that's weird) and I've sort of followed her wherever she went. She is a more grown up version of me. She still likes fluffy things and owls, but she has a Proper Job and has a car and stuff and feeds me when I find myself struggling for money. (#actorlife) After uni she moved to Ealing, so I did too. Then she moved to Archway, so lo and behold... I upped sticks and plonked myself a couple of streets away from her. Now I'm living further West there's less nipping round for tea and episodes of Charmed, but we're still as close as ever.

In January I got a call from Pops - her and her lovely man Jason had got engaged after three years together. I did a lot of screaming and bouncing when she said I was Maid of Honour; it feels like the icing on our friendship cake. They're an excellent couple and they're going to have a superb autumn wedding in October next year. I can't wait.

So Poppy was engaged? Of course I had to do it too. I promise, this isn't what actually happened at all, but I've always been so keen to emulate her awesomeness that I think that's how it may have appeared when Pete and I made the leap in May. He and I talked endlessly about when we were going to have our wedding day - neither of us wanted to have a particularly long engagement -because there are older family members who we want there, because we want to start a family, (which may possibly take a bit of time thanks to some fertility issues) and because we're excited. I was determined we wouldn't 'queue jump' without my BFF's say so, though - I'd feel terrible if she felt like I'd 'pushed in' - but she was lovely and kind about it and said I was stupid for even worrying. So after much chat and making sure it was OK, Pete and I settled our date for four months before theirs. We knew we wanted a spring/summer wedding and 2017 seemed like an awful long time to wait.

So now, we're TWO ENGAGED BEST FRIENDS WHICH IS UNBELIEVABLY EXCITING! We never thought this was going to happen when we did that spell for our perfect man back in 2002, (hers: arty but practical, mine: musical and earthy) but it has and that's excellent. It makes for lovely wine chat, as we can talk about our weddings to our hearts' content without boring any of our married/single friends. Luckily there's no Anne Hathaway/Kate Hudson Bride Wars nastiness - we both have totally different styles and we've never been competitive anyway. She's also my Maid of Honour (tied with my little sister) and we get to plan our respective hen dos, compare caterers and give each other advice on table settings. It really is a great set up. I highly recommend being engaged the same time as your best pal!

Now what other news can I share with you? Pete is away in the States and I miss him very much, although he's left me 14 envelopes with a different challenge each day. Write more of my book, take a selfie with a lady in Tesco, invent a board game, that sort of thing. I'm currently researching florists and hairdressers... oh! I've got my wedding shoes. They're so very pretty and very comfortable. This is good for me because I'm usually funny with heels and totter around like an old woman who's drunk too much sherry, but I think I've found the right balance.

Peter's very excellent cousin Emma has been incredibly kind and offered to design our invites/order of service/name cards etc, which is a lifesaver as I love the idea of these being 'home made' but am alas absolutely rubbish at crafts. She however, is amazing and I couldn't be more grateful.

Now all the big stuff has been done we can relax a little bit, but it won't be too much longer before we have to start planning decorations and the like. Must remember to take this all in and not rush to the finish line. Being engaged is a wonderful thing.

Much love,

Em x