A couple who got engaged with a backdrop of Edinburgh Castle have shared their tale of romance.
Chelsea Lopes, 32, and Tom Booth, 31, had been country-hopping since 2016 when they first met in Australia - they then settled in England back in 2021. Despite visiting New Zealand, Canada and a host of Indonesian islands, Tom chose to pop the question in the Scottish capital.
The pair were in Edinburgh earlier this month, when he got down on one knee with the castle in the background. The couple met in Melbourne while they were both based there for a year on a working visa.
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They fell in love and began travelling together, before eventually heading to Chelsea’s homeland in Canada. They then relocated to Lancashire in 2021.
The two joined family in Edinburgh for their trip, with Tom framing the big question as just another photo of them. After asking for a snap of just the two of them, Tom pulled out a box and got down on one knee.
He reportedly said to her: “We’ve had the most memorable six and a half years together and I’d lke to spend the rest of my life doing exactly the same thing - so, will you marry me?”
Chelsea, through tears, whispered: “Duh, yeah.”
After the proposal, Chelsea said: “Since we moved here, we have done lots of trips to Scotland, a couple trips to Italy and many local trips around England.
“We’ve been very lucky and never take for granted how lucky we are to see as much as we have seen and done. 2022 was a good year of travel, with our trip to Mallorca, my sister coming here in June 2022 and we spent a month exploring the UK together.
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“All of these trips included many trips to Scotland, as we love Edinburgh so much. My parents arrived with my other sister on Dec 27th, 2022, and we started yet another massive trip around the UK, and well, we all know that that one ended up passing through Edinburgh, and how that ended.”
The soon-to-be bride said the history of the city is what drew them here, with Tom’s aunt and uncle also getting engaged on Arthur’s seat and a massive family history of loving Edinburgh.
She continued: “It would be my personal dream to get married in a castle in Scotland but the whereabouts of the wedding are still undecided, however we think it’ll be a summer 2025 wedding.
"After we move back to Canada, we will be laying low, working on our careers, trying to buy a house. We are both mostly “too old” to get a working holiday visa anywhere else, so it’s time to settle down (to an extent).
"No big travel plans for this year, but something will happen once we have jobs sorted out in Canada. Tom would love to get married in Canada, which wouldn’t be so bad - a beautiful rustic wedding in the mountains does sound lovely.”
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