Bulli High School students celebrate year 12 formal

All eyes are on the Bulli High School year 12 couple Rose and Fred as they walked hand-in-hand to the school formal together, after a swoon-worthy formal 'proposal' that had over 90,000 views online.

Fred Baum decided to organise a special moment to ask his girlfriend of four months to the school formal with the help of the entire year 12 cohort from Bulli High School.

It was an average day for Rose Yousiph, the year 12 high school captain, who was walking toward the school gym with a friend when she suddenly heard the Taylor Swift song 'Style' playing from inside.

"I was completely clueless right until the entrance," Miss Yousiph said.

"I saw some of my friends holding a speaker with Taylor Swift playing and then they parted ways and the whole year group was standing there clapping."

Students lined the gym and handed her flowers as she walked up to Fred who was down on one knee. The Bulli High School students held a sign which read 'FORMAL?'.

"I was so happy to see him ... he got down on one knee and pulled out a bunch of flowers from behind and points back to the sign."

With a hug Miss Yousiph said yes, adding that "It was beautiful" and the highlight of year 12 and high school overall.

"I was a bit nervous, but I knew she would say yes," Mr Baum said.

"[She's] the nicest person, she's kind, she'll listen to you,

"Her grades, the way she like presents herself, her lifestyle it's just admirable. She inspires me."

Click or swipe through the below gallery for photos from Bulli High School's gathering before their big night.

Bulli High School class of 2023 arrived at Sandon Point on September 21 for the pre-formal photos overlooking McCauley's Beach.

A collection of colourful dresses, and suits were purchased for the day ranging from classic op shop treasures to a brand new $800 suit.

Wollongong's Frolic Boutique shop owner Kelly Kreilis said the cut-out and backless dresses are doing well this year.

However, there will always be some retro numbers at school formals, including velvet suits, paisley ties, and 90s dresses.

"The 90s style of dress is definitely back for us as store buyer... like some of the bubble dresses are around again," Ms Kreilis said.

Some students have purchased their dress a year in advance while others are still coming in to to decide on their formal outfit.

Ms Kreilis recalls when the onus once was on the fashion boutique stores to ensure that two girls didn't turn up to their school formal in the exact same dress.

"In the early days, we used to keep a registry of what we sold for each school but we don't even have to do that anymore because they do the school [social media] chat where every girl puts a picture up," she said.

As for Rose and Fred, they hope to spend some months travelling before going to university in Wollongong or Sydney in the second semester next year.

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