For richer or poorer
Lucas pops the question to a shocked Elle at the Deb Ball - but will their secrets tear them apart?
Faced with the prospect of losing the girl he loves to a glamorous life in the Big Apple, Lucas this week stuns Elle by getting down on bended knee in front of everyone at the Erinsborough High Debutante Ball. "Lucas knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with Elle, and the thought that he might have to say goodbye to her if she accepts a job offer in New York pushes him to do something about it," says Lucas's portrayer, Scott Major. "He's gone out and spent a whole lot of money on a ring, so the proposal is definitely premeditated. Lucas is on tenterhooks all night waiting to ask Elle," Scott adds. "When he can't wait any longer he drags her across the dance floor and drops to one knee with everyone watching. He certainly makes everyone stop what they're doing and listen! He just thinks, 'It's now or never!'"
While Elle intially devastates Lucas when, completely taken by surprise, she runs off and leaves him awaiting her answer, she soon lets him know that she wants nothing more than to marry him. "Of course, Lucas is extremely happy when she finally says yes," Scott says. "He loves Elle with all his heart and he just wants to be with her, wherever she is. He's very happy with the way their world is going. She challenges him constantly and he thinks she's amazing. He believes she's his one true love." As for Elle, she too has long regarded Lucas as her soul mate. "Elle really is in love with Lucas and she doesn't want to go to New York without him," reveals Pippa Black, who plays the ambitious journalist. "But New York has been pulling her like a magnet. Until now, there's been that struggle for her of whether she should put her heart before her career. It's something a lot of people face, particularly at Elle's age. She doesn't accept Lucas's proposal immediately, but marrying him is absolutely what she wants."
But while things are looking good for Elle and Lucas, this is far from the final chapter in their rocky romance. This week, a discovery leaves Elle fearing that Lucas has succumbed to his gambling addiction again. "She thinks, 'Oh my God, he's fallen back into his old ways, despite everything we've been through'," Pippa says. "She starts to get very nervous, just as everything is going so well between them." Adds Scott: "There's always the chance that Lucas may fall back into the gambling trap. For him, there's no such thing as one bet or one gamble because he's addicted to the rush of it. It's something he would have to live with every day of his life and something that Elle, as his partner, also has to live with."
Lucas, however, may be the one who's in for the biggest shock - Elle is yet to tell her fiance that she recently sold her house back to her father, Paul, to solve her cashflow crisis. She's now anything but broke, as she had led Lucas to believe. "Lucas thinks they're finally on more equal terms, money-wise," says Scott. "Elle doesn't want to tell Lucas that she's cashed-up again because he's enjoying feeling as though, for once, he's the breadwinner and that he can look after her," Pippa explains. "Toadie has been pushing Elle to tell Lucas what's really happened, but she's yet to do so," she adds. "Now she fears that if he finds out, he won't want to marry her anymore." Will the pair still head down the aisle once they come clean with each other? "I don't think with Elle and Lucas - or indeed with anyone in Erinsborough - trips to the altar are ever going to be smooth," Scott teases.
The details...
We asked Neighbours costume designer Paul Warren to give us all the details on the outfits donned by Elle and Lucas for the romantic proposal scene:
Who designed Elle's dress?
It's from Jigsaw. We picked the style because it's cute and romantic and also has a vintage feel about it, which went with the theme of the Debutante Ball.
What about her shoes?
They're a classic court style with a stiletto heel, by Enzo Angiolini.
How would you describe Elle's style?
Understated and always extremely feminine.
Where did you find the engagement ring that Lucas presents to Elle?
It's from Bevilles Jewellers. It's very simmple and elegant. It's perfect for Elle and definitely something Lucas would choose for his "Princess".
What is Lucas wearing when he proposes?
His "special occasion" suit. It's by Enrico Coveri.
TV WEEK October 17-23, 2009
Subject: Lucas' Proposal!!!! 
Tue Oct 13, 2009 11:26 am
