Our Journey

July 2024 — We first met in Koh Phangan, and soon after traveled together to Koh Tao.

August – September 2024 — We accidentally began a long-distance relationship. We simply never stopped reaching out to one another.

October – November 2024 — Mariah traveled to Tunisia, stopping in Italy on the way there and Spain on the way back. It was the perfect season to fall in love with Tunisia for the first time. Olives and pomegranates were ripening at Farm Elbaya, Mahdi’s family farm. It was the start of merging our worlds.

Oct 24' first time beekeeping together

February 2025 — After four months of long distance, returning to Tunisia felt inevitable. Mahdi was becoming more grounded in his work at the farm. During this visit, we traveled south together to Zarzis, where we attended an agricultural event at a friend’s farm. Mariah experienced her first Ramadan in Tunisia - each dinner made with so much love and care by Mahdi’s mother and his sister, Meriem. This visit began to feel more like home.

September – October 2025 — After six long months apart, we found our way back to each other. Mariah spent the summer traveling with her sister, returning to Thailand -volunteering on a farm, completing a Vipassana meditation, and of course revisiting Koh Phangan. Though it wasn’t the same without Mahdi. She decided to follow where her heart wanted to be, in Tunisia.

Oct 25' photoshoot at Farm Elbaya

This became our longest visit yet. We spent five weeks together, getting a glimpse of what life could feel like without distance; sharing simple routines, beginning and ending each day side by side. We went outdoor bouldering, organized WWOOF stays at the farm, had a couples photoshoot, and deepened our connection in new ways.

February 2026 — The time between visits grew shorter. Three to four months apart felt much more manageable than the long six-month stretches before. This time, we treated it as more of a staycation, visiting Hammamet along the coast. Something about this trip felt different and less casual than ever before. We had already begun talking about our future, but by now, we both knew we didn’t want this to end.

Feb 26' Hammamet

April 2026 — We returned to one another again, this time to marry. We chose an elopement; something intimate and true to us. With our hometowns over 8,000 km apart, gathering everyone wasn’t simple. Instead, we came together with Mahdi’s family and close friends, along with Mariah’s mother and sister, Mikaela.

We made a promise: that no matter the distance, we would find our way, build a home, and live this life together - rather than apart. Despite cultural differences, language barriers, or anything else that could have pulled us apart, we knew all we truly wanted was to stay.

Now, we are slowly building our life together. Mariah will be moving to Tunisia soon, inshallah, before the end of 2026. Our families have begun to meet and blend. Mahdi has created a strong foundation for us, and together we are working toward the next steps - saving for a car and building a rhythm between our home in Sidi Bou Said and the farm in Testour. And eventually, Mahdi coming to the states so we may split our time.

In time, we plan to celebrate our marriage with a larger gathering of family and friends. When that day comes, we’ll be sure to share the details and would love for you to be part of it.