Romantic Desert Engagement Session in Abu Dhabi, UAE: Yvonette + Walter -Munaluchi Bride

Yvonette and Walter have been aquatinted for over 17 years. Having attended the same church since they were tweens, many would assume that they were only destined to fall in love. Well – not quite. Lets just say at one point in life, they couldn’t stomach being in the same room. “At some point we both developed a very strong dislike for each other! We didn’t speak to each other for years and I would see him and cringe!” shares Yvonette.

In spite of her cringe worthy feelings towards Walter, Yvonette’s strong spiritual stance couldn’t allow her to hold onto her anger forever. And through prayer, the spirit eventually lead her towards a change of heart. “God heard me and about five years ago I got to the point where I could genuinely say good morning to him, without cringing! And four years ago, he found the mind he had lost all those years ago and realized how absolutely amazing I am! And boom – here we are!” says Yvonette.

A few days before their four year anniversary, the proposal came. The couple dined at Buddakan NYC in celebration, and following their main course, the waitress arrived at the table with a special dessert plate. “He had the waitress write ‘Yvonette, will you marry me?’ on my dessert plate. As she was bringing me the plate, he reached for the ring, got down on his knee and proposed” shares Yvonette.

However, the self proclaimed ‘Miss Nancy Drew’ noticed Walter’s unusual activity that day and had already pieced together all the clues to solve the surprise proposal mystery. “I wasn’t surprised…nonetheless, I was thrilled and of course, loved my rock and him! The writing on the dessert plate was also a nice touch!” says Yvonette.

With this serene sand dunes of the desert as their backdrop, Yvonette and Walter shot their engagement session during their excursion to the United Arab Emirates. Take a look at the photos shot by photographer, Melissa Crown while learning more about this fun-loving, spiritual couple.

Bride-to-Be: Yvonette Broomes
Groom-to-Be: Walter Powell, Jr.
Wedding date: 01/16/2017
Wedding location: New York, NY
Engagement Shoot Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE

Describe your engagement session! Did you have a theme?
We had a trip to Abu Dhabi & Dubai planned since 2014. After he proposed in August, I immediately went into planning mode and thought how awesome it would be to have the desert be the backdrop for our e-shoot. A friend referred me to Melissa Crown Photography and I booked. Melissa is absolutely amazing and it was such a joy working with her. We headed to the desert pretty early in the morning to beat the sun and the heat.

Believe it or not, the desert is actually pretty cool during the early hours of the morning. I knew that I wanted to have different looks. I wanted to wear the traditional Arabian style dress for one look and then something easy and casual that reflected more of my own style. I also requested camels! At first, it looked like that wasn’t going to happened but then the camels came strutting up – it was perfect! My 2nd backdrop featured some of the traditional architecture and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque in the distance.

What did you do on your first date?
He consistently asked me out over the course of a few months and I consistently turned him down. One morning he caught me in a hungry state and I could no longer turn him down. It was July 4, and we went to breakfast. I made him take me to a place far away from our neighborhood so that no one I knew would see us!

What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We’re church kids, so we love going to church and being involved in church related activities.

How has wedding planning been so far?
I’m a planner by nature, so planning has been seamless so far. To-do list is on deck and my girls are on standby for any and all wedding planning activities.

Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day!
I’m looking forward to simply being married and starting this new chapter.