As a child, Jamie Eagle couldn’t wait to walk down the aisle as a beautiful bride, picturing the princess dress, the bridesmaids and flowers.
It is not an unusual dream for a girl, but Jamie was a boy, and desperate not to be.
Not only are her wishes coming true but in a remarkable twist, groom Louis Davies was also born in the wrong body – as a girl.
Now the “body swap” pair are planning the perfect wedding in March 2015, when they both hope to have completed their gender reassignment surgery.
“Ever since I was five I dreamed of being a bride, getting dolled up and feeling glamorous,” says Jamie, 20.
“I went to my sister’s wedding a couple of years ago and I was so happy for her, but it was so difficult knowing I might never have that for myself.
"Now I know I’m going to have that perfect day to remember.”
Louis, 25, says: “I love Jamie so much. I was so nervous proposing. I spent two hours choosing the perfect engagement ring.
"I planned to propose at our favourite restaurant but I panicked and went down on one knee in our kitchen.
“ I just felt so incredibly happy when she said yes. It’s the happiest I’ve ever felt. I can’t wait to see her walk down the aisle.”
Happiness is long overdue for the pair from Bridgend, South Wales, who both struggled with their identities from childhood.
But after meeting 10 months ago, they are now both taking hormones and on the waiting list for surgery.
They even hope to adopt and start a family together.
Jamie, who has kept her original name, was just three when she first felt trapped in the wrong body.
“I wanted Barbie dolls, not trucks for Christmas.
"Mum didn’t mind but I remember my dad taking one of my dolls away as he thought it was strange,” explains Jamie.
At five she began trying on her sister’s clothes.
“I put on a school skirt one day when she was out. I knew it wasn’t normal but it felt right,” she says.
“At school I didn’t fit in with the girls or boys.
“At 12 I fancied straight boys but I had a soft, girly voice and everyone assumed I was gay so I was called names.
"I knew I wasn’t gay but didn’t know what was different about me. My body made me really uncomfortable.”
Aged 14, Jamie shaved her legs and secretly used her mum’s make-up.
She says: “I tried on my mum’s shoes and bras and used her perfume. I idolised women.”
It was only when she researched her feelings online that Jamie says she realised she was transgender.
“It was a relief to know I wasn’t alone but I was too scared of people’s reactions to come out,” she says.
But at 16, Jamie felt desperate. She says: “My genitals made me feel sick. I wanted to cut them off.”
Finally, one night she opened up to one of her sisters. “I burst into tears and blurted ‘I want to be a girl’.
She hugged me and said she’d always known I was different. My sister told my mum and she said she loved me no matter what.”
With her family’s support, Jamie began wearing dresses and hair extensions.
In May 2010, Jamie was diagnosed as transgender. But despite feeling happier, she feared she would never find anyone to accept her for who she was.
But that changed when she met Louis last October as she gave a speech about transgenderism at his university in Glamorgan.
He knew only too well how she felt.
“I’d always known I was in the wrong body from the age of four,” says Louis.
“I struggled to fit in with other kids. When I was 17 and studying psychology I discovered the term transgender.
“It was a relief to know I could get help but I didn’t have the courage to tell my family until I was 21.”
It was at that time Louis decided to change his name and live as a man.
“My mum found it hard, she felt like she was losing a daughter. After a while she accepted she was gaining a son.”
The pair say it was love at first sight when they met and they quickly went on a first date to the cinema.
Louis recalls: “I was struck by Jamie’s eyes and smile. I’ve always liked girls – when I was a teenager I once tried sex with a boy but it just didn’t feel right. Thankfully Jamie agreed to meet me.”
Jamie says: “We chatted all the way through the film.
"Louis was shaking with nerves as he told me about his past, so I made the first move, and kissed him to calm him down. It was a great kiss.”
From that point they became inseparable and moved in together in February.
As they wait for their respective operations the pair are taking hormones.
For Jamie they helped soften her body and facial hair, create breasts and shrink her genitalia. For Louis they had the opposite effect.
“They’ve deepened my voice, developed muscle and boosted hair growth. Finally my body is beginning to match my mind,” he explains.
And in March he popped the question. “Louis came home acting strangely one night and asked me to hang up his coat – something he never does,” says Jamie.
“I thought it was weird. When I came back to the kitchen he was down on one knee with a beautiful diamond ring.
"I had tears in my eyes. I had no idea he was going to do it."
Once their gender reassignment is legally recognised they are free to marry each other.
But for now they are simply enjoying being a couple.Jamie adds: “We love snuggling up and watching horror movies.
"We have so much in common. We don’t have traditional roles, Louis will do the cooking.”
But they also have typical differences.
“Louis is a computer game and gym fanatic and hates shopping, I could trawl the shops all day, like most girls,” laughs Jamie.
“Louis is such a boy – getting emotion out of him is almost impossible!”
But Jamie explains they are both each other’s best support.
“When I’m insecure about my looks he kisses me and says I’m beautiful,” says transgender campaigner Jamie.
“Sometimes strangers yell ‘tranny’ at me – but when I’m with Louis no one says anything.”
Business management student Louis, adds: “Some friends have called me ‘strange’.
"Jamie is the only person who truly understands me. But thankfully our families are supportive and happy about our wedding.”
Louis now believes he is close to having his first round of surgery – to remove his breasts.
But Jamie is at least 12 months away from starting her transition. The pair are waiting until after then to begin a physical relationship.
Jamie says: “We’ll be more intimate after surgery. But it’s all about having a soul mate.
"I thought this would never happen to me. Now I can’t wait for us to become Mr and Mrs Davies.”
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