Bethany & Riordan

This beautiful set of photos, celebrating the engagement of Bethany and Riordan come to us from Sophie Baker Photography and captures the beauty of Tamborine Mountain, which coincidentally is also one of Bethany and Riordan’s favourite places to be!

Riordan tells how they met “One summer’s morning on a Sunday in late 2008, we were at a church BBQ. Now, my name: Riordan, is quite different to the ordinary modern day Australian name. Upon meeting Bethany’s beautiful mother – Susan, I was formally introduced to her as…(sigh)…Rissole. When it came time for me to be introduced to Bethany, her mother introduced me in the same manner. Bethany at the time had just taken a bite from her sandwich, looked down at it and with a mouthful of food said “I’m eating a rissole”. I tell you what.. If you don’t believe in love at first sight, our relationship is a prime example… ”

And of the proposal? A beautiful story in itself! “It was the 25th August, 2012 and also the day of my (Bethany’s) 20th birthday. Riordan had planned a surprise day-trip to celebrate together. I did not suspect a thing.

First off, he took me to Dreamworld (on the Gold Coast) where we enjoyed a morning of thrill rides, fun and a massive adrenaline rush. Then, just after lunch, we left for a secret location in which I was blindfolded to travel to. After about 30mins, we arrived. Riordan had told me to pack formal clothes (I assumed we were going somewhere fancy for lunch). When we got to our secret location, he escorted me through a lobby into a lift where a loudspeaker welcomed us to Q1 Skypoint Lookout on the Gold Coast and said that we were about to ascend 70 stories up to one of the best views of the entire coast!

We got up the top and Riordan still did not remove my blindfold until we had walked forward, down a few steps and he had positioned me into a precise spot. He let go of my arm for a brief moment, and then said “open your eyes”… There he was, down on one knee, holding an engagement ring up to me where he asked me one of the most important questions of my life: “Bethany Schuster, will you marry me?” I was shocked, amazed at the stunning view, surprised and the happiest i have ever been in my life. I said “yes” straight away! Several onlookers clapped and came and congratulated us on our engagement. We then celebrated by having a beautiful lunch, with the most amazing view of the coast I have ever enjoyed. It was truly perfect. We drove home that evening to see family & friends and announce our exciting news. I will never forget that day. ”

Bethany tells “I love Riordan’s fun-loving nature. He is always friendly and warm towards everyone he meets! He enjoys a laugh (always) and I love that I can truly call him my best friend. The thing I love most about my fiancé is his deep love for God and his passionate pursuit of Him. Riordan is always full of joy. He is always saying romantic things to me and serenading me with silly songs. He constantly makes up new nicknames for me and uses them interchangeably, so I never know how he is going to summon me. On a deeper note, he is my biggest support and encouragement. I love how he always helps me to be the best version of myself. He sees me as I am and also who I am becoming and loves me just the same. His wisdom and intuition are amazing. Sometimes (in a moment of crisis) he seems to know me better than I know myself. I love that he is always calm and collected, a strength to me and all those who have him in their life. I love Riordan’s smile, his random (& constant) guitar playing and how he loves me and makes me feel so precious no matter where we are. Most of the time, he calls me “princess”.

Riordan recalls “Hearing Bethany flatulate for the first time was quite hilarious. It was about 3 years into the relationship. I think the funniest thing was seeing her face after when she tried to cover it up… That’s probably the funniest relationship story we’ve got… Most modern day “comical romances” (as depicted in films) usually revolve around some sort of conflict or tension, but our conflicts only last very briefly so we can’t really use any of these as examples… Our relationship is overall fun and full of joy. We don’t really look for faults in each other. We still acknowledge that they are there, but don’t really focus on them as a lever to get a cheap laugh or make the person feel any less loved. Our connection as a couple, is much more important. – Sorry to disappoint. P.S. of course I would tell a fart story.”

Riordan tells ” I enjoy Bethany’s company as a person, she’s pretty easy to be with because she’s so transparent…(to me anyway). I love her altruistic and selfless attitude towards not only myself, but people in general. I love her heart – when the waves are crashing around she is sensitive and still, yet she holds firm in the one that covers her. Her music ability astounds me, I know she has so much potential and passion to develop her gifts. I love who she is, who she’s becoming, and who she has been, she grows in humility every day. I love our ability to articulate and understand each others values and beliefs, being open and respectful to each others opinions. In all circumstances I see the best in her. Because in my opinion, there is no-one else who would be better suited for someone such as me.”