Gillian + Luke
A Sunset Engagement Session on Sauvie Island
From the very first moment I hopped out of the car at Sauvie Island and met Gillian and Luke face-to-face for the first time I knew we were going to have a good time at this engagement session! Luke and Gillian are just so comfortable around each other that the second you stand them anywhere in the vicinity of each other magic just happens and you can palpably feel the love and energy flowing between them.
It started off being a rather cloudy evening and as we strolled around Howell Territorial Park our conversations quite naturally flowed and I got a little peek into the lives of these two creative artists. When we first were chatting about their wedding Gillian had told me she and Luke were musicians, but I don’t think I fully understood just how much music is their life, and how creative they are with it. Gillian right now is writing and recording an album that delves into the life of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. This project is taking her up and down the emotional rollercoaster that was their lives, much to the chagrin of Luke by the way, who can always tell when Gillian has been working on one of the songs covering a bit more of the colorful portion of the history of these two impressive characters!
During the pandemic, Luke has had more down time than usual being a music teacher and has taken on the massive project of writing recorder quartets! I laughed when I clarified that he did indeed mean recorders, that $15 instrument that we were all forced to play “hot cross buns” and “marry had a little lamb” on in grade school and yes he confirmed that’s the one!
His musical endeavors haven’t always been so instrument-specific, and while we were lounging in the long grass Gillian reminisced about a particularly romantic moment where Luke found some of her early songs she’d written and recorded and he transcribed them into sheet music for her, lest she forget them or want to create some further composition with them down the road.
I also got to learn about the very beginnings of their courtship which included Luke falling head over heels for a playing-hard-to-get Gillian over a weekend in a little cabin which was originally designed to be a large group outing but due to the high price of a ferry ticket ended up being an intimate weekend of domesticity for just the two of them.
Luke and Gillian share deep and meaning relationships with each other’s families as well, and they laughed as they told me about some of the quirks of each of their family lives, including Gillian’s amazingly artistic father, her loving mother who always sends them on road trips back home with a GIANT box of the most amazing snacks, and Luke’s family tradition of sitting for hours just chatting and catching up at family get-togethers.
Gillian also shared with me the beautiful back-story behind her gorgeous custom engagement ring. It is made up of 3 separate stones, each from an heirloom piece of jewelry from different members of their families and honoring their union with their combination in this gorgeous heritage ring.
Luke’s creativity extends beyond music as well, as when he proposed to Gillian he made an incredible video compilation of clips of many of their friends whom he’d interviewed, asking them to describe how they felt about Gillian and explain why they feel she is so special. They were in school at the time, and Luke rented a projector to show her the video on right before he asked her to be his bride. Gillian not only replied with a resounding yes, but she in turn revealed to Luke a video she had made which included images of their recent travel adventures set to the melody of a song she’d written.
Luke and Gillian are planning a relaxed, fun-filled backyard wedding at Gillian’s childhood home this July which will be complete with an AirStream for epic photos and a Karaoke Machine for added reception fun.
We had a magical evening at Howell for their engagement session so be sure to check out the images below and drop some love for this amazing couple in the comments section!
Luke and Gillian, thank you so much for inviting me along for this lovely ride that is your relationship and wedding experience!
