MANILA, Philippines – Cebu-based couple Neftaly Mangubat and Michael Vincent Cortez caught netizens’ attention when they shared their Goth-themed prenuptial photoshoot, which was shot in a cemetery.
In an interview with Be An INQUIRER on Wednesday, Cortez shared that the theme was, “The Darkness,” which represented the struggles they shared as a couple.
“This is the part where we died, not literal. Death is when we encountered the dark days of our lives as a couple. I lost my job, the struggles that we have in looking for a job to be sufficient,” he said.
The viral photoshoot drew inspiration from different sources, such as Día de los Muertos or the Mexican Day of the Dead, as depicted in the Disney film “Coco.” The Tim Burton films “Corpse Bride” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” also served as creative inspirations.
Cortez stated that “The Darkness” is only part of a creative series of photoshoots and videos that recount their love story.
“Meron pong four episodes ang prenup namin. We based our prenup concept sa mismong life story before kami nagkakilala at ang love story namin” Cortez said.
(Our prenup has four episodes. We based our prenup concept on our life from before we met to our love story).
The prenuptial first episode is called “The Struggles” which took inspiration from the Netflix series “Squid Games.” It recounts their individual conflicts before they met.
“Two different individuals, playing their own games in life. Conquering every hurdle that life may bring. They found each other then fell in love,” said Cortez.
“All we want is a one of a kind concept that is very meaningful to us. And we came up with that idea plus the combined effort of our videographer, photographer and our organizer and his team. They help us bring our concept to life”, Cortez said.
The couple’s unique vision was carried out by Maki Keel from Keel Films, photographer Alexander Belciña and wedding coordinator Your Ideal by Cris Mandawe.
The third and fourth part of the series will premiere on their wedding day.
“It will be a surprise, and even [we] don’t know what Sir Maki and Sir Alex will be doing,” he said.
Having been together for almost eight years, Cortez and Mangubat are set to marry in October 2022.