Photo credit: Fitzgerald's Photography
Where are you originally from?
Chris grew up in Portland and Alice is an immigrant from Guernsey, a small British island in the English Channel, a few miles off the northwest coast of France.
Where did you meet?
We met at Powell’s City of Books!
How long have you been together?
We’ve been together since 2011.
What role does Powell’s play in your love story?
It was summertime in Portland. Alice was visiting the city as part of a months-long trip around the world. She stopped in to see Powell’s City of Books a few days after arriving in Portland. In need of refreshment, she went to World Cup Coffee in the Gold Room and got some tea. Looking around for somewhere to sit, she noticed a guy who kept looking at her. She thought for a moment, and decided to give him a chance. Within a few minutes, they were chatting. Chris took Alice on a long walk around the city and pretty soon it was true love. The best part is that Chris’s reason for going to Powell’s that day was to meet girls. He was successful!
What was the first thing you noticed about one another?
Alice: His obvious interest in me!
Chris: Her natural charm.
Who is your favorite writer on love?
Rainer Maria Rilke. We included one of his poems in the order of service for our wedding: “I’ll pursue solitary pathways / through the pale twilit meadows / with only this one dream: you come too.”
What’s the most romantic place in Portland?
The middle table in the coffee shop at Powell’s, of course!
What’s the secret to a healthy relationship?
Open communication and accepting the superiority of the European duvet over the American comforter.
What do you most admire about each other?
Alice: His tenacity.
Chris: Her capacity for unconditional love.
How do you celebrate your anniversary?
We effectively have three anniversaries: the day we met, the day we were legally married so we could take care of immigration stuff, and the day we had our “real” wedding with friends and family. On the anniversary of the day we met, we like to meet up at Powell’s and sit in the same seats as on that first day, and then we go for a walk through Portland.
Photo credit: Fitzgerald's Photography