If you LOVE proposal stories, this one is a goodie!
Mike and I go WAY back. Back to grade 4 playing soccer at English Bluff Elementary in Tsawwassen, then onto grade 8 where we would sneak cigarettes in the back ally between our houses. So, when he asked me to photograph the moment he proposed to his girlfriend Jordan, I was thrilled he thought of me for this milestone moment in their lives.
Mike, from the start, had a plan. He knew HOW he wanted his engagement to go and how to make it happen.
He contacted me while the ring was being made. He wanted the big moment to be captured on camera (smart guy!). The challenge? How do you plan a photo session without making your girlfriend suspicious that something’s up? AND if you know Mike, you would agree he isn’t the type who would randomly want photos done. So, what do you do? You contact your photographer friend (that’s me!) and make her put on a fake contest and rig the results! So that‘s what we did :)
When I ran the ‘contest’ on my Facebook page, Jordan (the beautiful bride to be) didn’t even enter! SO we had to default to Mike winning. Challenge number #2 now came. How to make him not seem eager to get the photos done? I had to contact Jordan and play the ‘Mike is being to hard to coordinate with, so Jordan you are now the one in charge’ card.
Side note - I felt guilty about running a contest that was rigged so I actually drew ANOTHER name of a REAL contestant and gifted her with a complimentary photo session :)
Prior to the photoshoot, Mike and I scouted out a perfect location at Centennial Beach. We decided that the code word for him to drop a knee was for me to say ‘the lighting is perfect!’.
The day of the shoot came. I arrived to Centennial Beach with a bottle of Champagne stuffed in my camera bag. *I* was so excited/nervous before the shoot, I can’t imagine how Mike was feeling! He was as cool as a cucumber though…
We took photos for about 15 minutes before we arrived at the location for the proposal. The lighting really WAS perfect so I said my ‘code word’ to let Mike know now was the time. Mike fiddled the ring out of his pocket and dropped a knee. Awwwww! I really wish I could hear what was said but I had my tele-photo lens and was far away. It must have been good because she said YES!
The rest of the shoot was popping bottles in celebration and toasting on the beach. This was a dream session for a photographer to be apart of! Pictures really do say a thousand words, and just look at their faces, they are beaming!
Mike and Jordan, I’m SO happy for you guys. Thanks for letting me capture this moment for you. You guys are the dream team together and I can’t wait for your wedding this summer. See you at volleyball on Tuesday :)
