We recently had the privilege of photographing Elena and Peter’s proposal (she said yes!), and engagement portraits. Peter proposed at Pittock Mansion, and then we took beautiful portraits of the two of them in downtown Portland. We asked them a few questions about their story….
How did you meet?
We met in Sydney, Australia, in September 2014. Elena walked into my life while she was working a door-to-door sales job during her working holiday in Australia. She approached me as I was standing in the driveway of my home in Maroubra. We connected immediately and our conversation soon moved past her sales pitch as we found a number of mutual interests throughout our initial interaction. We began dating the following weekend and our bond has been strengthening ever since.
What was most surprising about your proposal? Did you anticipate it?
As a rather practical couple, it was difficult for me to surprise Elena with this proposal. We had already mapped out the next ten years of our life together so we both knew this event was inevitable. The fact that we were only together for a few weeks every six months, while we were living in separate continents, made it even more predictable. I tried to throw her off by hinting that I was taking her out to dinner that evening and then proposing at Pittock Mansion in the afternoon but she was always anticipating the moment.
Were you nervous to ask?
I wasn’t nervous about asking but I wanted everything to go smoothly. Rain was predicted on the day so that was a little worrying. I had organised everything – the ring, the photographer, the venue, and the dinner afterwards – by phone or email from Australia, so I couldn’t be completely in control of the variables.
Do you have any wedding plans, ideas or a date set?
Elena returned to Australia in late January this year. We will be getting married in my home town, Adelaide, in the first week of October 2019. This will be just over five years since we realised that we had found something truly special in one another, during our first few weeks together in 2014. The wedding will be held in the ballroom of another historic mansion, Ayers House, and will be followed by an afternoon tea reception with our family and friends from Australia and the US.
What are you most looking forward to about your future together?
Elena and I couldn’t be more excited for our future together! We are keen to return to Sydney and begin building a life for ourselves there. Elena will study accounting and finance as I finish my business degree and we have big plans for our careers together. We also have two boys names and two girls names ready for the 3-4 children we hope to raise together. We can’t wait to meet them!
If you’d like to book an engagement portrait photography session, or proposal photography, contact us today!
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