Matthew Weathers holds his fiance, Fleur Allen, after
proposing at Larnach Castle on Saturday. Photo by Peter
McIntosh.
A descendant of William Larnach had long dreamed she
would be proposed to at Dunedin's Larnach Castle, but until
Saturday thought it would never actually happen.
Fleur Allen (25), of Palmerston North, who is William
Larnach's ''great-great-great-great-granddaughter'', had no
hesitation saying yes when Matthew Weathers (27), of the
United States, asked her for her hand in marriage atop the
tower at the castle on Saturday afternoon.
Ms Allen said she always had a Larnach Castle proposal in the
back of her mind ''even as a kid'', but thought it ''would
never happen''.
The proposal came as a ''complete surprise'', with Mr
Weathers employing a bit of subterfuge - with the help of Ms
Allen's family - to make sure it was unexpected. He even had
her believing it was her idea to fly to Dunedin and visit the
castle. Mr Weathers, who teaches English in China, said he
got the idea to propose at the castle from Ms Allen's
parents. He picked the tower, overlooking Otago Peninsula, as
the place to say the words.
''I asked her to turn around and look at the sea because I
wanted to read a poem to her and I proposed within the lyrics
of the poem I wrote. She immediately and thankfully accepted
the proposal,'' he said.
He wanted to thank Ms Allen's family and the staff at the
castle for helping make ''the day as special as it was''.
The proposal came after a whirlwind romance. The pair, who
met in the United States in 2006, became a couple only in
November.
They hoped to tie the knot in July in the United States.
-vaughan.elder@odt.co.nz
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