Epic engagements: real-brides tell their story
Sam & Sean in windswept Cornwall | Photography James Frost
It’s engagement season (woo-hoo) and we thought we would share some epic engagement stories from our real-life couples in the La Lista Facebook community.
From private speak-easy dinners in Tulum to volcanic sunrise surprises in Maui…these guys have some tales!
If you’ve just got engaged and would like other awesome couples to chat to about your Italian wedding, join the Facebook Group now and get involved.
REAL BRIDE SAM: AN INTIMATE PROPOSAL ON THE WINDSWEPT COAST OF CORNWALL, UK
“I’m British, but my fiancée, Sean, is Canadian. I moved to Canada to be with him in September 2019. Having not lived in Canada for very long before the pandemic, I found the lockdown really tough. We flew over to England in December 2020, hoping to be able to see everyone after over a year of separation. We spent a few weeks in Cornwall (as we had to isolate) and Sean proposed when we were out on a windswept walk."
“What I loved so much about it was the privacy of it (my one condition was not to do it in front of other people!!!) and the thoughtfulness that he put into proposing at home so I could celebrate with my family and friends. Sadly, those celebrations couldn't happen due to the changing landscape of lockdowns. However, we went back in June and had James Frost capture the location in an engagement photoshoot and we were finally able to celebrate with my family and friends, tied in with my 30th birthday!”
“We are getting married at Villa di Ulignano in August this year, planned by Wiskow and White!"
REAL BRIDE LAUREN: A PRIVATE SPEAK-EASY DINNER FOR TWO IN BEAUTIFUL TULUM, MEXICO
“Gabe and I had been dating for 4 years and we had started our relationship as a long-distance couple; him in London and me in Toronto. We used to travel together as a way of seeing each other and one of the first places we went together was Tulum, Mexico.
In June 2021 we decided to go back as we had loved it so much on our first trip - little did I know, Gabe had decided that would be where he would get down on one knee! On the 7th day of our trip, Gabe had planned for us to go to the spa together for massages and champagne. While we were gone the hotel was going to decorate our room with rose petals and bubbly and he would pop the question. Unfortunately, that morning I woke up with food poisoning so he had to quickly cancel the plan and work on a plan B.
The next morning, we woke up and he surprised me by taking us to a super luxurious hotel called Casa Malca which we had been dying to stay at! In the evening, he had booked us dinner at the hotel, but instead of taking us to the restaurant, we diverted to a private speakeasy style room where it had been setup for the two of us for dinner. He then started to ask the question, but we were interrupted twice by eager waiters trying to take our order! I could see the stress on his face but he finally was able to ask me and pulled out the ring! I was in total shock but of course said YES. In that moment my family walked into the room to surprise me! They had flown in to be there for the weekend and because of the pandemic I hadn't seen them in almost a year so I was totally overwhelmed with emotion.”
“The best part about the proposal was the thought he had put into everything and the fact that he knew I would want to share the moment with my family. While Gabe had to deal with many curveballs along the way, looking back we laugh about it all and we will now have Tulum as our special place forever.”
Thanks so much to the wonderful Lauren & Gabe for sharing their engagement story with us! You can see more from Lauren on Instagram @laurentesssaro
REAL BRIDE CASEY: A SUNRISE SURPRISE AT THE TOP OF MAUI’S HIGHEST VOLCANO
“We were in Hawaii for 2 weeks celebrating my birthday in April with a few of our close friends. One morning we woke up at 2:30 am to leave our condo by 3:15am. It takes about 1.5-2hours to drive from our location to the top of Maui's volcano, Haleakala, and we wanted to be there to watch the sunrise.
At summit (10,023ft) it was 40 degrees F and I was freezing. We had packed for beach weather, not winter. We waited for a couple of hours as the sun slowly started to rise above the peak of the volcano. We were shivering but in awe. As the sun rose, I noticed my friends moving away from our view point and I figured they were ready to leave to a warmer place.
As I was looking around to see what they were doing, my fiancé Chris, got down on one knee and then it all made sense. I couldn't hear any other voices but his. I wasn't cold anymore, and everyone else vanished. He asked me to marry him and it was the easiest yes!
Turns out he had told our friends on the drive up that he was going to ask me to marry him so they were prepped and ready to take some photos.”
“What I loved most was how gorgeous our location was and the fact that I had no clue what was going on! I knew he was going to propose, just not then and there in that moment so it was a complete surprise to me.”
Thanks so much to the wonderful Casey & Chris for sharing their engagement story with us! You can see more from them both on Instagram @caseylove11 and @chris_ventures
Just got engaged and not sure where to start? Here’s how to kick things off on the path to the Italian wedding of your dreams.
Written by Beth Butler, marketing person and lover of all things weddings; with a particular passion for beautiful photography, muted florals and a good cup of tea.
