# Chapter 8: A Husband-to-Be Named Toby, and Letters That Change Everything
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? I hope you’re ready for another deliciously dramatic slice of “Married at First Swipe,” because today we’re diving into a chapter that is *brimming* with chocolate pastries, shocking announcements, very strict social media rules, and a truly unforgettable first exchange of letters between our soon-to-be bride and the man she has never met. Trust me, by the end of this one, your heart will be doing a little flip!
## The Pastry That Changed Everything
Let’s set the scene: a perfectly ordinary Wednesday morning, a few weeks after the wild scheme had begun. Hannah is tucked behind her laptop, minding her own business, when the office door flies open and in bursts Jess, looking like the cat that got the cream — except the cream, in this case, is a slightly sweaty paper bag filled with the most glorious-smelling *pains au chocolat*.
“I bring pains au chocolat!” Jess announced triumphantly. She tossed down her car keys, threw the bag onto the desk, and made a beeline for the coffee machine.
Now, Hannah knew her best friend well enough to know that pastries on a random Wednesday meant *something*. Still, she played it cool, asked for tea instead of coffee, and tore into that bag like a woman possessed. The office filled with the buttery, chocolatey aroma of pure happiness.
“What’s brought the pastries on? Not that I’m not grateful!” Hannah asked, mouth already half-full.
And then Jess, with all the casualness of someone commenting on the weather, dropped the biggest bombshell of Hannah’s entire life:
“Oh, nothing much,” Jess said, beaming. “Just that I’ve found my best friend a husband.”
Hannah froze. There was a beat of silence while those words processed in her brain. A husband. For her. An actual, living, breathing human being who had said *yes* to this absolute madness.
“You mean, you’ve actually found someone who’s as mad as me?” Hannah gasped. Then, because her brain was clearly short-circuiting, she added suspiciously, “Does he look like a gargoyle?”
Jess laughed, delighted. “What happened to just wanting someone kind? Now the truth comes out — it’s about what they look like after all! Well, you’ll be pleased to know that Toby is very handsome indeed, I think.”
“Toby?”
“Yes. Your husband-to-be is called Toby.”
## The Hunt for Toby
Hannah rolled the name around on her tongue like the last bite of that chocolate pastry. “Toby.” It felt strange. It felt *real*.
But when she demanded more details, Jess turned infuriatingly smug and refused to say anything else. So, being the resourceful woman she was, Hannah did what any modern bride would do: she whipped out her phone, opened Facebook, and typed the name “Toby” into her search bar.
What followed was a comedy of errors. She scrolled past married Tobys, grandad Tobys, baby Tobys, and — when things took a truly bizarre turn — the Toby Carvery pub down the road. Finally, she landed on one promising candidate: Toby Richards, a friend of a friend of Scott. But his profile picture? Well, let’s just say it featured his right bum cheek. And not in a tasteful way.
Hannah spun her laptop around, aghast. “Jess, I trust you with my life, but if you have matched me with a Toby whose profile picture is of his right bum cheek, I will never speak to you again. I cannot marry a man who moons.”
Jess giggled naughtily. “Deal-breaker noted. But you’ll be pleased to know your Toby’s name is not Toby Richards, and to the best of my knowledge he does not moon.”
“But you don’t know for sure?” Hannah’s eyebrows shot up.
“No! Funnily enough it wasn’t on the list of questions I asked potential suitors.”
And just like that, the mood shifted from panic to hilarity.
## Privacy Rules and the Great “Toby-to-Be” Debate
Jess, it turned out, was playing the long game. She informed Hannah that Toby had already deactivated or privatised all his social media accounts, and now Hannah had to do the same. Facebook settings, Instagram, Twitter — everything. Hannah was horrified. She barely used Twitter, sure, but *Facebook* was her chosen weapon for spying on mad exes and potential dates.
“Well, thankfully, the only potential date you need to worry about now is your Toby-to-be,” Jess said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Hannah cringed. “Your Toby-to-be” sounded bizarre. They went back and forth until they settled on a compromise — “Toby-to-be” — which Jess insisted wasn’t weird at all. Clearly, it was.
But Hannah had bigger problems. She was desperate to know more, and Jess knew exactly how to manipulate her. “Sort those privacy settings,” Jess cooed, “and I might even let you in on an exciting part of the plan.”
“You are loving this far too much,” Hannah grumbled, but she did as she was told. Best friends always know how to push your buttons, and Jess was pressing all of them.
The conversation then spiralled into a glorious giggle fit when Jess attempted to sound seductive. Instead of Marilyn Monroe, she sounded like a cross between Marge Simpson and Elvis. The two of them were reduced to snorting, hiccupping wrecks, clinging to each other for support. It was in those ridiculous moments that Hannah was reminded why Jess was the only person in the world who could possibly find her The One.
## Real Talk Underneath the Laughter
But as the laughter faded, a slightly more serious note crept in. Hannah looked at her friend — the woman who had been married for nearly a decade, who had two beautiful kids, who ran a successful business — and asked, almost cautiously, “But you and Tom are happy, right?”
Jess hesitated. And in that tiny hesitation, Hannah felt her stomach drop. “Well, one of our businesses is a little more successful than the other,” Jess said with a wry smile.
Hannah didn’t smile back.
“Han, look, of course me and Tom are fine. Stop worrying. Haven’t you got enough to think about with the small matter of your engagement, anyway?”
It was a deflection, and Hannah knew it. But she let it slide — after all, she had a wedding to plan and a husband she’d never met to claim.
## The Plan and the Date
Finally, Jess was ready to spill the beans. Hannah looked like an overexcited puppy waiting for its owner to pick up the lead.
“You can’t contact each other on social media,” Jess explained firmly. “And I will be checking, believe me, so no underhand messaging, okay? But you *are* allowed to learn a little more before you walk down the aisle. I’m going to get both of you to write letters to each other every few weeks, which I’ll publish on the Save The Date blog for the world to read.”
Letters. Blog. The *world*. Hannah’s head spun.
But that wasn’t even the biggest news. Jess then, in the most casual voice imaginable, said: “Oh yes, that’s the other thing I was going to tell you.”
Hannah shot up from her chair. “You cannot just casually slip into conversation when my wedding day is! It needs a build-up, a fanfare, or at least a drum roll, you heathen!”
Jess, ever the showman, drummed her palms rhythmically on the desk like a mad musician. “I am pleased to announce the wedding of Hannah Laura Edwards to Toby Something Something — no, I’m not going to tell you his full name, no matter how hard you stare at me — on Saturday the fourth of September at Castlefield House in Manchester at three p.m. Ta-dah! Do you think you might be able to make it?”
Hannah laughed, but then her brain caught up with the date. September the fourth. That was… she counted the weeks on her phone… *four months away*.
“Four months!” she wailed. “Lots to do and so little time to do it!” Jess said, not sounding sorry at all.
## Wedding Memories and Honeymoon Nightmares
The conversation drifted, as it always did with old friends, into nostalgia. Jess brought up her own wedding — the horrors of battle-axe mothers-in-law insisting on roses and freesias, the inevitable tropical flower disaster that resulted in boring roses and freesias anyway. Hannah confessed she couldn’t remember the flowers at all because she’d spent most of the reception staring at the hot barman and gulping down pints of lager.
Jess then topped it all with a honeymoon story so unromantic it was hysterical: Tom, exhausted after the wedding, had fallen asleep slumped in a chair in the corner of their honeymoon suite, halfway through getting undressed. Jess had to drag him into bed, prise a mystery bow tie from his hand, and then pass out without even removing her makeup. The next morning she woke up with dragon breath, panda eyes, and a fake eyelash stuck to her cheek.
“Welcome to married life!” Jess declared.
Hannah snorted. She thought back to her own mother’s lecture about champers-sipping at weddings versus the pints of Fosters she’d so gracefully consumed. “I’ve a good mind to ban champers-sipping from my wedding entirely and only serve Stella,” she said, mischief twinkling in her eyes.
“Are you turning into Bridezilla already?” Jess laughed. “Although it’s almost worth it to see Joan’s face when she’s handed a pint of lager!”
And just like that, the sobering thought rose to the surface: Hannah’s mother, the formidable Joan, was going to have *opinions* about this whole blind-date marriage business. Jess tried to reassure her — Joan was her only daughter’s mother of the bride, after all — but Hannah knew her mother could be stubborn.
“Like mother, like daughter, then,” Jess shot back.
“Me? I’m not stubborn!” Hannah cried, proving everyone’s point immediately.
## A Glimmer of Toby’s Real Personality
As the chat mellowed, Hannah wrestled with the idea of pouring her emotions into letters that would be publicly posted on a blog for the entire internet to read. It was daunting, exposing her heart not just to Toby but to anyone who visited the Save The Date website.
“Writing publicly to each other makes sense, I guess,” Hannah said thoughtfully. “After all, this isn’t just about me finding a husband, it’s about me finding a husband thanks to Save The Date and telling all the single people out there that they can do it too, right?”
Jess softened. “Yes, but I want to make sure you’re happy first and foremost. You might want to think about exactly how much you give away, and I’ve said the same to Toby.”
And then, because Hannah couldn’t resist, she started fishing for info on Toby. What was he like? Was he nervous? Was he really as lovely as Jess kept insisting?
“Every time I’ve spoken to him and seen him he’s become more and more invested in the whole process,” Jess admitted. “He was so excited when I called him the other day. Shocked, yes, but then immediately ridiculously excited. He’s so lovely, Han, he really is.”
But when Hannah asked why she’d told Toby at the end of last week and was only finding out now, Jess revealed her strategically gentle approach: she had wanted to give Toby a cooling-off period, time to tell his family and friends, time to make sure he was truly ready for this monumental commitment.
Hannah’s heart swelled. “Oh my god! Jess, have you matched me with basically the boy version of you? Other than me marrying Jason Momoa, that would be my absolute dream!”
“Don’t get too excited,” Jess replied, a smirk on her lips. “For starters, there is no way on this earth I would agree to marry someone I had never met!”
## First Letters from the Future Bride and Groom
And then, the moment we’d all been waiting for — the first letters exchanged between Hannah and Toby, published on the *Save The Date* blog for the entire world to see. There was a cheeky little introduction from the company, positioning the whole thing as the ultimate test of their dating app: “one girl, one boy and one happily ever after,” with the twist that the only things the couple knew about each other were their first names and the fact they’d meet for the very first time at the altar.
Dear readers, I have to say, seeing this in print made the whole thing feel *terrifyingly real*. But I pulled up my big-girl pants and read on.
---
**Dear Hannah,**
My name is Toby and I’m... well, I’m very soon going to be your husband (that is definitely one of the strangest sentences I’ve ever written! And somehow typing them into a blog on the internet that will instantly leave a digital footprint makes this whole thing excitingly/scarily real). I can’t believe how nervous I am, writing this all down, knowing you will read it, but for what it’s worth, here are my answers to Save The Date’s first three blog questions:
**Describe yourself in three words:** Kind, tech-loving, work-in-progress
**What fictional character are you most like?** I’d love to say Mr Darcy after he stops with all the Pride, but I’m probably more Donkey from *Shrek*.
**What’s your favourite hobby?** As I work in IT, I spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen, so when I’m not in the office I love getting outdoors, playing five-a-side after work, maybe taking one of my sister’s dogs for a walk, going to gigs (both comedy and music) and winning the pub quiz with my mates (or, if I’m being honest, losing the pub quiz with my mates).
I’m looking forward to reading your answers...
Until next time, Toby x
---
Hannah couldn’t help the smile that crept across her face. Donkey from *Shrek*. A man who owned his flaws with good humour. This did not seem like the type of man who mooned in his profile pictures. Relief washed over her like a cool wave, before being replaced almost instantly by sheer nerves.
Because now it was her turn.
---
**Dear Toby,**
Right, well, I hardly know where to start with this. I think it might be the weirdest letter I’ve ever tried to write, but I suppose the first thing to say is: hello! I’m Hannah, Han, or even Spannah, depending on whether you’re talking to my mum, my friends or my brother. And, I’m going to be your lawful wedded wife in a few weeks! Which is both crazy and amazing! I’m not really one for exclamation marks, but if any situation calls for copious amounts of them, it’s this one!
**Describe yourself in three words:** Fun, adventurous and up for breaking the rules!
**What fictional character are you most like?** Nancy Drew. I’m pretty nosy, love a challenge and often find myself a bit out of my depth, but obviously I triumph in the end.
**What’s your favourite hobby?** I love to travel. I’m aware this sounds both privileged and #basic – who doesn’t like to go on holiday a couple of times a year? – but I really love visiting different countries and finding out about different cultures, even if that’s just what locals like to drink and where they like to drink it. I’ve been to the worst of places – I will never forget the flea-infested hostel in Colombia I went to on my three-month backpacking trip after I graduated and had used my last remaining credit card to buy the flights and only had twenty quid of my overdraft left to play with. And the best of places – the tiny shack I shared with three other girls overlooking the beach in Chubut, Argentina, beats any five-star hotel, not that I’ve stayed in any.
Well, that was short and sweet wasn’t it? Anyway, I do hope our wedding day will be filled with drinks, dancing and debauchery – and did I mention drinks?! I can’t wait to see you there.
Hannah x
---
As Hannah read those words back — words she had written but now felt strangely detached from — she realised something important. This was happening. In four months, she would be standing at the altar of Castlefield House, Manchester, waiting for a man named Toby. A man who wrote funny, self-deprecating letters and played five-a-side and lost pub quizzes with his mates. A man who was technically a stranger but was already beginning to feel like a thread pulling her toward something bigger than herself.
Would he be kind? Would he be handsome? Would he love her mad, chaotic, pint-drinking, Nancy-Drew-with-a-death-wish side? There was only one way to find out — and she was going to be wearing a white dress while she did it.
---
## Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
Oh, what a chapter! I absolutely adored the playful chemistry between Hannah and Jess — their friendship is the kind you dream about, full of teasing, brutally honest laughter, and unconditional support. Jess’s “Marge Simpson meets Elvis” seduction attempt had me grinning ear to ear, and the honeymoon story about Tom with his mystery bow tie was hilariously relatable. But what really touched me was the vulnerability underneath all the jokes. When Hannah quietly asked if Jess and Tom were truly happy, and Jess deflected ever so slightly, I felt a flicker of worry. Is there trouble brewing beneath that seemingly perfect marriage? And let’s not even talk about Hannah’s mother Joan.
As for the letters — *chef’s kiss*. Toby’s confession that he’s more Donkey than Mr Darcy was adorable, and Hannah’s travel stories made me desperate to read the next instalment. These two already feel like a match made in chaos, and I’m terrified and thrilled in equal measure to see how they’ll handle what comes next. Bring on the wedding!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.7 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
Based on the sweet beginnings of their letter exchange, I predict that Hannah and Toby will dive deeper into this epistolary romance, sharing charming secrets and flirtatious anecdotes — but the stress of the upcoming wedding will inevitably collide with the outside world. Perhaps Hannah’s mother Joan will discover the full extent of the plan and stage an intervention, or an unexpected crisis at Jess’s own marriage will cast a shadow over the happy preparations. One thing is certain: Toby’s “cooling-off period” might not be enough for everyone, and both he and Hannah are about to learn that secrets, even well-intentioned ones, have a way of escaping into the digital spotlight.
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