I love the deep dark moodiness of a forest so when this Sunshine Coast woodland engagement session landed from Peppermint Photography, I couldn't wait to share it with you. The beautiful rich colours convey a sense of drama, but a sense of beauty as the story of newly engaged Mariah and Charles unfolds before us.

Mariah fills us in on how she and Charles came to be. "Charles and I met on our first day of high school. We were both new, so we toured the school together. We had one class together per week, which was physics, where we formed a special bond over my failing ability to withhold any information about science! Charles would always help me along with any work that I was struggling with, we were inseparable in our senior year of high school, and have been every day since! "

On what he loves about his future wife, Charles fills us in. "I love Mariah for the genuine and kind person she is. I have been so lucky to meet such a caring person so soon in my life, she has shown me what it means to truly love and care for someone dear to your heart. What has drawn me to Mariah since early was of course her beauty but even more so, the excitement and joy that she radiates to her family, friends and myself. I love seeing the excitement that Mariah holds for my African heritage, her willingness to learn my native language and travel to my hometown to meet my family in Pretoria makes me love her even more."

"We choose this style of shoot for our engagement as we always dreamed of getting married in Maleny, surrounded by the beautiful trees and wildlife. Amanda from Peppermint Photography did an amazing job of capturing exactly what we wanted. We couldn't have asked for a better outcome."

The weekend that Charles chose to propose was a triple celebration, Mariah explaining, "The weekend that Charles graduated from university was the same weekend that I had my 21st birthday. We booked a trip to Sydney to celebrate both occasions which was so exciting! Little did I know that would be the weekend my life would change forever!! We were sight seeing like the tourists we were, first by eating a beautiful breakfast by Darling Harbour, followed by checking out the Sydney Harbour bridge and then visiting the opera house. We decided to walk up all the stairs until we reached the top of the Sydney Opera House. we stood by the railing next to the ocean taking in the beautiful views, and as I turned to share my excitement with Charles, he got down on one knee and popped the question right then and there! And of course I said yes!"

On what she loves about Charles, Mariah tells, "Charles is such a kind person. I love that he would do anything for his family and friends, always putting everyone else above himself. I love that Charles works so hard to accomplish everything he sets his mind to! I am so proud of how hard he has worked to finish his Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Queensland, I am very lucky to have met someone who is so driven and passionate about everything that he does. I love that Charles and I have been able to find each other so early on in our lives as we have already experienced so many things together."