Damien & Hanna

Damien & Hanna

1) How did you meet and fall in love?

We met through a good mutual friend. Hanna says she fell in love with me on our first date. I poured her a glass of champagne around the corner from where she was sitting however, she could still see me in the reflection on the wall.

I asked her how full she would like the glass (mind you I never drink champagne) and she said not very, maybe halfway? I had already poured it to the very top (like a beer).

I then panicked and sculled half the drink and she saw me do that in the reflection. It went straight to my head and she always says she fell in love with me in that moment because she could see that I was very thoughtful and caring.

2) Tell us about your proposal? 

It was third time (event) lucky. I had originally surprised Hanna with a trip to Europe the week before valentine’s day. I was planning on proposing in Hvar, Croatia however COVID-19 hit and we had to cancel the trip.

I then booked a trip to Day Dream Island, Queensland and was going to surprise her with tickets however, the QLD premier closed the boarders into Queensland two days later.

I then booked a trip up to Byron Bay, NSW and surprised Hanna a few days before the trip with the tickets. She had already taken leave from work for the following week, so the timing was right.

On the day I proposed, I arranged a picnic setup and photographer to take photos of the proposal. We took a cab down to Wategos’ beach in Byron Bay, it was sunset, not a cloud in the sky and we walked over to the picnic area on the beach.

There, she noticed a photographer and the setup and that is when I said a few words then knelt down on one knee and proposed to my beautiful now Fiancé. She said yes and the rest is history.

2) Tell us about your Nolan and Vada engagement ring and why you chose it? 

oval teal sapphire engagement ring halo

About a year ago, Hanna told me she wanted a Sapphire stone to be the main stone on her engagement ring one day. I researched sapphire jewellers and Nolan and Vada appeared. I then showed Hanna a photo of a ring (that I found on google and not the Nolan and Vada website) that I knew she wouldn’t like.

She hated the look of the ring that I showed her. I did this strategically, to show her that I had no idea about rings and that it would a ‘fun activity’ for her to show me what ring she would like.

I then asked her to complete the online custom ring form on the Nolan and Vada website. She completed the form, and in a few days, I had CAD images of what the ring would look like. I showed her the CAD images and she deadset fell in love. Her face lit up with a big bright smile.

I then told her, yeah, I can’t afford that. Little did she know, I purchased the ring. To this day, she cannot take her eyes off the ring and either can I. It is sooooo beautiful and more importantly, so her!