Brie Elizabeth, 28, grew up in a small village in the English countryside just a few miles from her now 31-year-old fiancé Matthew Benfell. Photo / Facebook
Brie Elizabeth, 28, grew up in a small village in the English countryside just a few miles from her now 31-year-old fiancé Matthew Benfell. Photo / Facebook
Brie Elizabeth, 28, grew up in a small village in the English countryside just a few kilometres from her now 31-year-old fiancé Matthew Benfell.
But despite their close proximity Brie didn't see Matt until she was sixteen.
"I saw Matthew walk down the corridor at school with his blue eyes and burgundy leather jacket. He didn't know who I was but to little Brie he was my crush with no name - 'the unknown fit guy'," she told How He Asked.
Even though the 28-year-old rarely saw him her heart beat faster every time he was in the same room. But she never spoke to him, the Daily Mail reported.
"He was just a dream. I rarely saw him but when I did my heart would do a little flip or what Matthew and I like to call a pang. I would forever tell the universe I wanted to meet him but we never did meet at school," she continued.
'I squealed and fell into his arms while we kissed. Experiencing the exact same feelings I had three years ago,' Brie said recounting the moment Matt proposed. Photo / Facebook
Brie, who is believed to be from Hampshire, went on to attend a drama school in London and featured on a popular TV show. Matthew, who was studying Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University at the time, recognised her face on the show, looked her up on Facebook and added her.
"We tried to meet up for years, forever sending private birthday messages and having embarrassing small talk. We attempted to meet up in Vietnam and London but it never worked out mostly because I was too nervous... but on 22 March, 2014, everything changed," she said.
While living in Los Angeles Brie sent a message to Matthew, a personal trainer and model, who was living in Australia at the time.
"Just like that it went from Whatsapp messages to phone calls to sending videos to Skype to mailing love letters and then four months later I followed my heart and booked a flight from LA to Sydney," she said.
"We met for the first time at Sydney's International Terminal. Our first ever encounter, our first hug, our first kiss all happened there. The emotions were a whirlwind and I can forever take myself back to that moment - my favourite.
"My best friends all thought I was crazy to travel across the world to meet a man I had never met but I can't explain how right it felt. I knew I was going to marry him before even meeting him and I wasn't scared to tell people that," Brie said.
The couple were together for three years before getting engaged. And the engagement story drew on their very first meeting at Sydney's airport.
"Whilst planning our trip back to Sydney from Singapore we discussed recreating how we first met when arriving at the Sydney airport. Like I said three years ago it was out first encounter, our first hug, our first kiss, our first hello, our first everything.
"We had been in Melbourne for a couple of days and arrived at Sydney Domestic terminal and had to get to the International Terminal to get to the exact place where we met.
'We met for the first time at Sydney's International Terminal. Our first ever encounter, our first hug, our first kiss all happened there, Brie said. Photo / Facebook
"In Brie fashion I wanted to buy a sim card for data, I wanted to eat and I wanted shop. Matthew stayed calm while I did the things I wanted to. I had no idea my favourite story to tell was about to happen.
"We arrived at the International terminal and it was of course completely empty, just us. I started recording our reenactment. I filmed the ramp I walked down, the exact way I searched for Matthew.
"The moment I spotted him, I spent seconds that felt like hours trying to get enough courage to walk over and say my first hello.
"It was an overwhelmingly beautiful moment because it took me back to three years ago when the airport was bustling with people but all I saw was him.
"I squealed and fell into his arms while we kissed. Experiencing the exact same feelings I had three years ago.
"Moments later he was on one knee asking me the question I have been dreaming of since before I met him.
"Overwhelmed with a million emotions I cant begin to describe I managed to mutter 'Yes, of course!'.
"He then whisked me off to a grand surprise. He rented a private yacht, a replica of the yacht to where we first said 'I love you'," she said.
The couple are currently in Singapore enjoying travelling the world together no doubt in preparation for a wedding that will be as romantic as their engagement.
