We spent almost two months chatting, playing board games, going out to activities and just getting to know each other, then one night while playing a game of chess. Hadrian said he wanted to "up" the stakes and make a bet:
“If I win, I get to take you on a date.” he said. (I kicked his butt.)
But I challenged him to a rematch, then immediately tipped my king on its side and surrendered, my way of saying I wanted that date after all.
I (Hadrian) asked Makayla,
“If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
“If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?”
She told me she would go to Egypt.
So for our date, I took her downtown and through the markets on a scavenger hunt for all things cats, camels, and pyramids while we waited for our reservation at a cozy cat café.
Kittens tumbled around as we had dessert. I know she left secretly wishing she could smuggle a kitten home in her bag.
Our last stop was supposed to be an Egyptian restaurant, but unfortunately it was closed, so we went with the next best thing... next door to another Middle Eastern restaurant.
As the date came to an end, I asked her,
“What did you think?”
“What did you think?”
“I had a great time,” she said with a little grin, “but… it was a little random, don’t you think? Why the cat café? And why did you want me to find all that stuff at the market? I’m actually a little relieved the other restaurant was closed… you know I can be picky.”
Yap, yap, yap…
“Egypt…” I blinked.
“You said you wanted to go to Egypt… so I brought it to you.”
April 2, 2024
We’ve shared so many experiences together, but one special thing we share is our love for photography. Through this passion, we’ve been part of countless love stories, grown our businesses, and learned to support each other in every way.
Two years later, on the anniversary of our first date, Hadrian said we had a booking. One of his close friends, Maroof, was planning to propose and had asked us to take his engagement photos. We set it all up—consultation calls, location, inspiration, all the details.
I showed up to the shoot with Hadrian, met Maroof, and everything seemed normal. They let me putter around for a bit, setting up cameras and angles, until finally they asked me to stand in front of the camera for a test shot…
Now, we’re thrilled to officially become partners not just behind the camera,
but as husband and wife <3