Durek Verrett's three attempted proposals to Norway's Martha Louise before tearful countryside engagement
The wedding day of Norway's Martha Louise and her fiancé Durek Verrett will take place on 31 August, two years after the couple announced their engagement.
The proposal could have happened sooner, but the shaman revealed that his previous three plans were scuppered.
Durek had originally hoped to travel to Disneyland – the theme park famed for being the land where Disney stories come to life – to create a fairytale Star Wars-themed proposal with Martha with the help of Playboy star Holly Madison.
Before he could execute his plan, Martha confronted him with Durek admitting to HELLO!: "She can read my mind. When I thought about asking her to marry me at Disneyland, which we love, she called me to tell me not to."
He had previously said in an interview with Town & Country that she had reservations about the non "royal-worthy" engagement.
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"She goes, ‘Oh my God, you were going to propose to me at Disneyland. You cannot do that. Do you know what the whole royal family will think if you propose to me at Disneyland?’ As much as it’s a cute idea, it’s not 'royal-worthy.'"
The Californian spiritual healer also wanted to propose in another two locations, but he struggled to slip them past Martha before coming up with a cunning plan to surprise his partner. "She also knew when I considered a yacht in Turkey or Lake Tahoe. Then I realized how to block her – by thinking of five places at once," he added to HELLO!.
Durek's countryside proposal
Durek popped the question in the shade of an oak tree in the Californian countryside in June 2022. Opening up about the emotional proposal – which took place three years after they started dating – he said: "I went down on one knee, but was crying so much I could hardly get the words out. I had a sore back and got stuck on the ground, so she had to help me up."
King Harald and Queen Sonja's daughter chimed in: "I said, 'Yes' straight away," recalled Martha.
Durek had thoughtfully designed the ring with his friend Jo Sangalang Smith. Based on a Viking shield for protection and with a Viking knot denoting eternal love, the Brazilian emerald is surrounded by four diamonds representing earth, air fire and water, and three diamonds symbolising Martha's three daughters Maud, 21, Leah, 19, and Emma, 16, with her late ex-husband Ari Behn.
"I sat up at night planning every detail. I wanted something elegant and regal that also represents her energy," he said.
First dates
Energy was the driving force behind the couple's first meeting, which was encouraged by their mutual friend, Hollywood health and wellness guru Millana Snow in 2018.
"After giving me a healing session she told me that the only time she’d felt such intense levels of energy was with Shaman Durek. ‘You two have to meet,’ she told me. But it was a few months before he reached out to arrange it," Martha said.
Durek admitted he was "scared" about diving into a relationship with a princess, and settled on a relaxed first meeting at his home in the Hollywood Hills.
"I’d been in relationships where people had made me responsible for their happiness, and because of that my focus was on God. I wanted my life to be about helping people through my work," he said.
Recalling their initial meeting, Martha said: "The moment he opened the door, I felt like I was greeting an old friend. ‘I know you already,’ I said, to which he replied: ‘Yes, we were destined to meet before we were born.’
"I internally rolled my eyes, thinking he was another LA dude. But when he did an energy reading for a close friend, he was spot-on and I knew then he was the real deal.”
Their long-distance friendship spanning New York and London was purely "platonic" for the first six months while they got to know one another.
"As our relationship developed, Martha told me she was falling in love with me. And I was falling in love with her, too. If other gentlemen were around, I felt jealous. I did a lot of soul-searching before our friendship turned into a relationship.”
Six months after they met, the couple shared their first kiss at his LA home in a moment he described as "really beautiful."
Norway wedding
Martha admitted she had "decided not to get married again" before meeting Durek. Following a five-year relationship, they are set to wed in a three-day celebration in Norway from 29 - 31 August, which will be covered exclusively by HELLO!.
Guests will enjoy a meet-and-greet party on Thursday, followed by a boat trip along the Geiranger Fjord and a Latin American-themed pre-wedding party on Friday, before festivities reach a peak on Saturday with the ceremony at Hotel Union led by parish priest Margit Lovise Holte.
"We are incredibly happy to be able to celebrate our love in Geiranger's beautiful surroundings," she previously wrote on Instagram. "It means a lot to us to gather our loved ones in a place that is so rich in history and intense nature experiences. Geiranger is the perfect place to embrace our love."
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Norway's royal wedding will be exclusively covered by HELLO! magazine. Check back on the website and pick up the most recent issues of HELLO! for all the latest news and photos.
