Love Letters & Bookstore Dates: A Sydney Engagement
Ari (she/her) and Harley (she/her) met on a dating app, but everything that followed felt anything but ordinary, from long phone calls and a chaotic beach first date with their dogs to a quiet, at-home proposal hidden inside a handwritten poem. Their story moves between soft, everyday moments and bigger turning points, including being beaten to the proposal and finding their way back to what really mattered when plans didn’t go as expected.
Captured across Sydney by Carlita Sari Photo, their engagement session reflects the places, energy, and rhythm of their life together, a colourful, city-spanning snapshot of who they are, both together and as individuals.
Tell us about how you met, and what that first date was like.
Ari: Harley and I met the old traditional way… Hinge. We thank our Hinge Angels every day for letting us find each other. After we matched, we messaged non-stop for a week. Harley would call me and we’d stay on the phone for hours, just giggling, getting to know each other, and of course, flirting. It all felt easy straight away.
Our first date was at the beach with our dogs, which honestly tells you everything about us. There wasn’t a single quiet moment. We talked and laughed for hours while our dogs caused chaos and completely embarrassed us. It felt like a preview of the life we live together now. We were fully ourselves from the very beginning, and nothing’s changed since. Harley is my best friend. I owe Hinge one of my kidneys for finding me the love of my life.
Tell us about how you planned your proposal.
Ari: From the very beginning, I had my heart set on being the one to propose. Harley had already beaten me to asking me to be her girlfriend. I’d planned the perfect time and date, but she got there first. And somehow, she managed to do it again!
Even so, I still followed through on my plan. Once I had her ring made, I asked her to marry me too.
How’d the proposal go?
Ari: I had just come home from work when Harley started acting a little suspicious. She told me to go upstairs, get out of my scrubs, and put something comfy on. We sat on the bed, and she began reading me a love letter and a poem she’d written.
The thing is, Harley writes me letters and poems all the time, so I didn’t think anything of it. It just felt like another one of those quiet, love-filled moments she’s always creating for us.
Then she got to the end.
“Will you marry me?”
I went into complete shock. I just kept saying, “What? Really, bub? Really?!?!” I couldn’t believe it. I jumped on top of her and yelled “YES!!” straight away. My face genuinely hurt from how much I was smiling.
Afterwards, we called all our family and friends, and I think every single one of them cried. We’re so beyond lucky to have the kind of love and support around us that makes moments like that feel even bigger.
You didn’t have a good experience getting an engagement ring, but it led you to something perfect, tell us about that.
Ari: Finding Harley’s ring didn’t start the way I’d hoped. I had connected with a Sydney-based jeweller who created these beautiful, handcrafted pieces, and for about a week, everything felt perfect. We spoke every day, working through all the little details of the design. They were sourcing materials, sending updates. It felt really collaborative and exciting.
At one point, they asked for the ring size and referred to Harley as “he.” I corrected it and said she’s a US size 6. They apologised, I reassured them it was completely fine, and we kept going. Or so I thought.
After that, the communication just… stopped. Messages were read but never replied to. I followed up a few times, but nothing. Meanwhile, they were still actively posting and selling. It was confusing, and honestly, it felt like something shifted the moment they realised I was in a same-sex relationship. There was no money involved, so it wasn’t a scam, just an experience that didn’t sit right.
But it ended up leading me exactly where I needed to go.
One of my clients, who runs a small, family-owned business, created Harley’s ring instead. I was able to design every detail myself, and it felt so much more personal knowing it was made within our own community. What started as a disappointing experience turned into something really special, supporting a local maker and ending up with a ring that means even more because of the journey behind it.
How has getting engaged changed your relationship?
If I’m honest, getting engaged hasn’t really changed anything about us, and I think that’s the most beautiful part. Our relationship feels exactly the same as it always has, steady and familiar in the best way.
The only real difference? I get to call her my fiancée now. And trust me, I take every opportunity to say it, “my fiancée” makes its way into just about every conversation.
If there’s one thing this whole experience has taught us, though… it’s just how expensive weddings are.
Tell us about this photoshoot – it’s not a typical engagement shoot.
Ari: Harley and I have always wanted to do a photoshoot together. Our home is filled with photos of our little family, and it’s something we both really cherish, being able to walk past those moments and feel exactly what we felt when they were taken. Getting engaged to the love of my life was something we knew we wanted to capture properly.
When I started looking for a photographer on Instagram, I kept coming across more traditional engagement shoots, which are beautiful, just not quite our vibe. Then we found Carly.
Honestly, she’s magic. Neither of us had ever been in front of a professional photographer before, but she made us feel like the coolest, most confident, baddest b*tches out there. Her creativity is incredible, and the way she captured us felt so real. It didn’t feel posed or forced, just us, exactly as we are.
Captured by Carlita Sari Photo
