Aaron and I both attended Texas A&M University, where we had mutual friends through our organizations. Our first date was at Torchy's Tacos, and we instantly clicked.
We ended up sitting there for over four hours just talking and getting to know each other. Over the next several months, we started hanging out more and more until he officially popped the first important question - to be his girlfriend.
We started dating on June 24th, 2018. We graduated college in 2020, experienced quarantine and the pandemic together, survived our first snowstorm in College Station, and have made countless memories over the past four years.
We both love to travel and go on adventures together and have planned many trips over the years. One of our previous trips was to Colorado Springs, Colorado, so our next trip had to be a beach trip.
Aaron's parents had some family friends who had a condo in Isla Mujeres, and after their trip to the island, we knew we wanted to visit there next. We decided to plan the trip during our 4 year anniversary at the end of June 2022.
We had never gotten professional photos taken of us, so Aaron told me before the trip that he had planned for a photographer to take couples pictures of us at Punta Sur during the sunset. I had a feeling it would be more than just "couples photos" but I didn't want to spoil the surprise.
We ended up staying in the condo where his parents had previously stayed, and it was the coolest place! It was called Casitas de Paloma and it was on the island, nestled right into the local neighborhood.
We enjoyed feeling like we were part of the island instead of just tourists since we weren't in a hotel or resort. We arrived on the island late in the evening, so for our first day, we didn't have much planned besides the photography session. I also didn't want to spend too much time in the sun because I did not want to look like a lobster right before the photo shoot.
The morning of the session was spent relaxing and getting ready. I could tell Aaron was getting nervous because he would start pacing around the room as the time was getting closer. As soon as we got ready, we hopped on our golf cart (which I highly recommend renting if you stay on the island - it's very helpful when trying to explore the Punta Sur area) and went to pick up Jorge from the ferry terminal.
We drove towards Punta Sur and Jorge had us pull over to the side because he saw an area that looked really nice for portraits. As I stated earlier, neither one of us had professional pictures taken, so we did not really know what to do or how to pose for the pictures.
Jorge was very helpful in directing us on how to relax and be natural for the pictures. He would give us topics to talk about so our smiles and laughs would come naturally.
We took a few pictures at the first spot, hopped back onto the golf cart, and went to the next. The second spot was close to a skate park, but the view was gorgeous. There was a rock with an overhang that we walked onto and took some pictures of.
Jorge was to our left, with all of the beach and sea in the background. All of a sudden, Aaron grabs my hands and begins to talk to me (unrelated to the topic Jorge gave us).
At that moment, I knew exactly what was happening. Aaron dropped down to one knee with tears in his eyes, causing tears in my eyes, and he asked me the second important question - to be his wife. We got engaged the day before our four-year anniversary - June 23rd, 2022.
It was such a surreal moment, and Jorge was there to capture it all. I had a very strong feeling it was going to happen, but I was still in shock while it was happening. It was perfect.
We took a moment to soak in everything, and onto the next location, we went. Jorge took us to Punta Sur just in time for the sunset. There was a small rainstorm that happened on our drive, so the clouds in the sky made for an amazing display of colors as the sun was setting.
By the end of the photo shoot, my makeup had been messed up, my hair had fallen, and our clothes were all wet from the rain, but I had never felt so happy. I chose to spend forever with my favorite person in the world, and Jorge was there to make sure our love was captured.
The next few days on the island we spent going on a whale shark swimming tour, and a clear boat tour around the island, we tried so many delicious hole-in-the-wall food, drink, and coffee shops, and while all of it was more than I could have ever dreamed of.
Jorge made the most magical moment even more special by capturing it all on camera. Because of him, we were able to share this moment with all of our families and friends, and frame these pictures to hang around our home and be able to remember it forever.
We've planned our wedding as an intimate ceremony with our immediate family in Colorado. Guess the date? June 22nd, 2023. Now, we will be able to have three days straight every year of celebrating, remembering, and loving.
We can not thank Jorge enough for going above and beyond for us to capture Aaron's perfect vision of the proposal. Jorge was very easy to communicate with, and he asked all the right questions beforehand to know exactly what we were wanting.
For anyone needing pictures for any event near or on the island, Jorge is the man. We will 100% be booking him when we go back and recommending him to everyone we know planning a tropical getaway. - Abigail + Aaron.
Location: Cliff of The Dawn.
