Maid of Honor
Margaret Cole
Elena's sister and lifelong co-conspirator — keeper of every secret since the second grade.
Our story
From the rows to forever
How we met
We met during a September crush, both of us volunteering for harvest at a small Dundee Hills vineyard. Elena was sorting fruit; Thomas was hauling bins and pretending he knew what he was doing. By the third day we were trading sandwiches at lunch, and by the last we were the only two still talking long after the press had stopped.
Two years, two cities
Then came two years of long distance — her in Portland, him in San Francisco — measured out in airport pickups, shared playlists, and Sunday phone calls that ran until the wine ran out. We learned that the valley always felt like the place we were both heading back to.
The proposal
Last October, Thomas asked Elena to walk the rows at sunset "to check on the vines." Between two trellises, with the hills going gold and a heron lifting off the river, he got down on one knee. She said yes before he'd quite finished the question.
A short history
- 2022 A harvest in the Dundee Hills — and a first hello.
- 2023 Two cities, countless miles, one steady answer.
- 2025 A sunset between the rows — and a ring.
- 2027 We marry where it all began.
