Meet Gaby & Angelo {Two Out-of-Towners, A Surprise Holiday & A Surprise Proposal}
Hi again, everyone!
You know what I'm afraid of? Hairy spiders, my local florist shop closing, and vampire movies! You know what I'm NOT afraid of? PDA. Public Displays of Affection. In fact, I am all about it, especially when I'm photographing a gorgeous and super in-love couple like Gaby and Angelo, who were constantly stealing kisses and wrapping themselves up in each other throughout our afternoon together!
But wait, we're getting ahead of ourselves! Let's start at the beginning.
You can imagine my giddiness when Angelo's mom phoned and told me all about Angelo wanting to ask Gaby to marry him, how the two of them were going to fly down to Cape Town from Johannesburg and how Angelo wanted to surprise Gaby with a sunset proposal on the beach. Immediately I was a part of a secret mission in the name of love!
Our session started at the New Kings Hotel in Sea Point, Cape Town, where we met up with Angelo and Gaby as well as one of our favourite makeup artists Jade (from
Makeup Artist
Jade Armstrong) who started working her magic - making Gaby feel like a real-life Princess!
Once Angelo and Gaby were both ready to go, we headed out to Signal Hill.
Signal Hill, or Lula Lula Mountain (Seinheuwel in Afrikaans) or Lion's Rump, is a landmark flat-topped hill located in Cape Town, next to Lion's Head and Table Mountain. The hill was also known as "The Lula Lula Flank", a term now obsolete. Together with Lion's Head, Signal Hill/Lula Lula Mountain looks like a lion sphinx. The perfect spot to start off Angelo and Gaby's special Surprise Proposal session before heading out to Camps Bay.
Gaby: "We met in 2010. Angelo invited me as a friend on Facebook and I knew I had to accept! We then met in person at an under 18 party, after which we lost contact but reunited in 2012 and started dating on the 22nd of November 2013."
Angelo: "In 2010 I had sent through a friend request to her on Facebook. It took about a year for her to accept though and we finally met in person when we were 15 years old."
Gaby: "AMAZING! Angelo ensured that my childhood dream of looking pretty and having this special moment photographed was met. It started with a surprise holiday, a makeup & hair artist and then a great photographer who captured all these special moments - all my expectations were exceeded!"
Angelo: "I have always been told by Gaby that she wants her nails done, her makeup done and she needs to look beautiful. Now trying to surprise her with all of this was a difficult task, as you always think in the back of your head that she knows whats going on as all the boxes are getting ticked on her list before being proposed to."
Why did you decide on Cape Town for your shoot and surprise proposal?
Angelo: "I had thought about Cape Town as she has never been there in her life and I thought that it would be amazing as this is a beautiful place to go to."
Gaby: "A week before our surprise holiday my mother in law took me shopping for outfits I might need on the trip. She suggested something flowy for a day time activity (and I love jumpsuits so this doesn't take much convincing) and something fancy for the evening in case we went out. I wasn't too sure about this but decided to pack the beautiful dress from Forever New with. Thank goodness because Angelo rented a Mercedes to take us to dinner at the 12 Apostles Hotel overlooking the same boulders that we got engaged on."
Angelo: "I am not much of a dress up guy, but for this amazing step in my life I chose to wear a navy chino and a smart shirt with navy All stars. I had also taken her to a fancy dinner, and I wore a grey suit with smart shoes."
What kind of look were you going for?
Angelo: "I was going for more of a natural look as the Beauty in Cape Town was a perfect fit for the photography."
Angelo - were you nervous? How long had you been planning the proposal? Tell us what went through your mind.
Angelo: "I was extremely nervous but so excited at the same time. It took me about 5 months to plan everything as I wanted this to be perfect for Gaby. I was just thinking that this is really happening, I am asking the person who I want to spend the rest of my life with to marry me, I was extremely nervous and was just hoping that she would say YES."
Gaby - did you have any idea? Were you surprised? Tell us what went through your mind.
Gaby: "I was completely surprised! I remember turning around, looking at the board and thinking: but that doesn't read three things he loves about me? I then read it again! I remember crying saying I will, I will, I will! leaning in for a kiss before putting my board down, saying yes then giving Angelo my hand."
What was your favourite part of the session?
Angelo: "My favourite part was asking Gaby to marry me. I also loved every minute of it as I saw how happy Gaby was as she was in her element as she loves photo shoots! It was also amazing that we had popped a bottle of Champagne as soon as I popped the question - this was all thanks to Karien and her husband Morne.
Gaby: "Drinking champagne (which our amazing photographer got us!), looking at my beautiful ring, crying while the sun set and being overwhelmed with excitement with my favourite person in the world! It was a feeling I will never forget!"
Do you have any tips or advice for other couples about to have engagement photos taken?
Gaby: "Relax and take in every moment! Be yourself! Angelo bought me a huge packet of Cadbury Buttons as a snack for the car - I was still snacking minutes before getting engaged - I guess it was a good distraction! I cried so much I smudged my makeup that Jade worked so hard on!"
Angelo: "Just be yourself, don't stress too much and take in every minute of it as this happens so fast. You just need to relax and just go with the flow as everything will work out perfectly in the end no matter what."
Tell us about the details you're most excited about for your upcoming wedding!
Gaby: "The planning of everything is super exciting! Within a week of being engaged we chose a venue - it was love at first site! We have the best bridal party - we did a groomsmen & bridal proposal once we were back home in Johannesburg. We have planned our engagement party & bought a house! The whole adventure is all falling into place. That's probably my most exciting thing about this - knowing forever has already started!
Angelo: "I am not much of a planner but my skill are definitely coming in handy with agreeing to everything Gaby wants for the wedding. I am also most excited for seeing how beautiful Gaby is going to look walking down the aisle. We have already chosen our groomsmen and bridesmaids, we have also already gotten a wedding venue as well as bought our first house! I am just so excited to spend the rest of my life with the love of my life."
Angelo: "This was my first time, and you are truly good at what you do! This will definitely not be our last. We were lucky to have Karien and Morne drive us around to the perfect places and capture the most memorable photos that we will have and look back on for the rest of our lives."
Gaby: "It was! And definitely not my last! Karien was amazing throughout the whole process - from helping Angelo get chalk boards and distracting me, to driving us around to different parts of Cape Town to get the perfect shot! Morne was also great - he carried my bag a few times and was the BEST security, making us feel very safe."
"Karien and Morne were so friendly. They made us feel comfortable, we laughed a lot, and shared a few happy tears which made it really enjoyable."
Gaby and Angelo, you both hold a special place in our hearts!
It goes beyond saying thank you for choosing Just Frame Me Photography © to capture such a special moment for you! It was a pleasure meeting you, an absolute honour to be a part of such a magical once-in-a-lifetime moment, and thank you for sharing your moment with us. We are definitely looking forward to your fairy-tale wedding day! xx
We just want to give a special shout-out thank you to Jade from Makeup Artist Jade Armstrong. If you're looking for a makeup artist, just give Jade a call or follow her at www.facebook.com/jadearmstrongmua
Want to learn more about our Couples/Engagement Sessions? Check out all the details here: http://justframemephotography.com/newborn-lifestyle-sessions/couplesengagement-sessions
E-mail us at justframemephotography@gmail.com to BOOK your very own Couples/Engagement Session TODAY! We look forward to hearing from you! xx
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