It was always going to be by the beach that Angel and Dom chose for their engagement photos. “Dom and I are more of a beach couple” explains Angel. “Living in Tropical Cairns, the beach would always be our go-to date. Hence we decided to have the location of our photoshoot at the beach. Wearing a white outfit made us stand out and it felt like it was both simple yet elegant.”

The couple who hired Tulieve Photography to join them, chose the beautiful setting of Yorkey’s Knob Beach for their session in the sunshine and it turns out, it was a pretty perfect setting for the next step of the story of the pair who met well before their spark grew. Says Angel  “We come from a small town in the Philippines where everyone knew each other. Our parents even grew up in the same neighbourhood. So we’re basically childhood friends and this helped us establish such a strong foundation for our relationship. We find comfort, security and warmth in one another. Our relationship feels like home.

Long story short, we got together when we were 16, broke up, then I had to migrate to Australia. At 23, we rekindled and got back together, long-distance for two years, then eventually was able to reunite at 25, engaged at 26, and married at 27.  Dom and I are the same age.” The pair tied the knot on a palindrome date – February 12, 2021. 12/02/2021.

“Dom proposed to me during our anniversary celebration at Fitzroy Island” reminisces the bride. “Funny story — his original plan was to propose to me during dinner, either putting the ring in a champagne glass or on top of a dessert plate. But things did not go as planned. I had a bit too much alcohol that day. From day-drinking during lunch to happy hour at the pool and then the bottle of champagne for dinner.

It was all too much and I was a tad too drunk by the time our main meal was ready. And my drunk self is a happy careless drunk so Dom knew that it was definitely not the best time for me to be proposed to at that moment. Hence, he changed his plan and proposed to me the next morning instead. We hiked to the Fitzroy lighthouse at dawn, and once we reached the top, Dom got down on one knee and finally proposed.”

“Mehdi is wonderful. He was so easy to work with. It didn’t even feel like we were having a photoshoot. We felt so chill and at ease. Nothing felt scripted” raves Angel, of the couple’s choice of photographer.