And that is how Joy Vogel will remember her treasured daughter, Moi, after abandoning hope that the 32-year-old survived Asia's tsunami.

Moi and her new husband Christian Nott were honeymooning in Phuket and had rung home on Christmas Day to announce they were expecting their first child.

When the deadly wave struck on December 26, Moi's brother Peter and some of his friends flew to Thailand to search for the couple.

All they found was Moi's passport and Christian's wedding ring.

Last week, a body was recovered with credit and EFTPOS cards belonging to Christian, a Sydney

photographer.

"Moi is in heaven – she's in paradise," Mrs Vogel said yesterday.

"She had an amazing, amazing life.

"Children are a blessing from God but they are not ours, they are lent to us for a reason – that's the reality."

Moi's family moved to Australia shortly after her birth in Holland.

The television producer, who worked on shows such as Seven's My Restaurant Rules, was introduced to Christian by friends who knew they would be perfect for each other.

They married last October in a three-day extravaganza at Moi's father's property near Tenterfield.

"I haven't got one unhappy memory of my daughter," Mrs Vogel said.

"I feel she is still showering me with gifts. She had such an elegance when she was married, the elegance of the swan. She left joy wherever she went. She smiled lots, she laughed, she's vivacious and charismatic."

Mrs Vogel was initially comforted by the fact her daughter's life ended in the water, as it began in the waters of the womb. But now she hopes the young couple's remains will be buried together. She takes comfort from the belief Moi and Christian will be welcomed in heaven by Christian's mother, who died when he was 16.

"They are going to have heavenly grandchildren and a heavenly grandmother out there," she said.

"There is no old age, she doesn't have to be a widow, she doesn't have to leave a child, she's gone from the most perfect place in her life."