I love my job every single day. But some days and some sessions just kick things up a notch, and last Sunday was one of those sessions.
I was contacted a handful of weeks back by a gentleman named Brandon,. I had been recommended to him by a mutual friend of ours who is also a client of mine. (Thanks, Lex!) Brandon wanted to secure my services for a large family portrait; he told me the number of people, said that the whole family (most of whom don't live in Orlando) was going to be in town for his mom's 60th birthday, and then told me there was a twist: “My brother is also planning on proposing to his girlfriend during the portraits. It's a big surprise for her of course; we all know about how he's planning this, and we want to have photos of the whole family together but of the moment when he asks her to marry him, too. Is that something you'd be able to do?” I said of course, and we got the date and time sorted out.
From there, Brandon took a step back and I got in contact with his brother Craig, and like sneaky sneaky ninjas, we began emailing, texting, and calling back and forth and began to work out the rest of the details, locations, and logistics in preparation for the big day without tipping off his girlfriend Ilyssa..
After lots of planning, some fretting and coming up with 'just in case' back-up locations because the weather looked as if it was going to be rainy the day of the session (of course), and working it out to make sure our 'shot list' for the day would work down from the big group shots to the families to smaller groupings and finally the couples so we could end on Craig and Ilyssa, the day of the portraits finally arrived. Brendan and I got to the park the family had chosen for their session, met everyone, and got started. As far as Ilyssa knew, it was just a portrait session, and she was none the wiser.
After about an hour of having fun shooting all the different combos for their 'family portraits', we finally meandered over to the spot where he was to propose, the beautiful and dramatic exedra at Kraft Azalea Gardens. I had deliberately isolated and photographed every couple in the family in and around this area, ending every interaction with some variation of, "Okay, we got some great photos, is there any other pose or anything else you'd like to try while we're shooting just the two of you?" so that it wouldn't appear odd when I said that to Craig and Ilyssa. Finally it was their turn. I took a few cute posed photos of them looking at the camera, changed the angle and position a time or two, had them kiss, etc etc etc. Finally, I said, "Okay guys. These are awesome. Do you have any other ideas for what you'd like to do?"
She shook her head, turned to stroll away, and said, "No, I think those will be good."
I made eye contact with Craig and he had this look on his face like he was thinking, "Alright, it's time, let's DO THIS". And as she walked away, he said to her, "Hey Ilyssa, how about this?" And dropped to his knee.
She turned around. Saw him on one knee with the ring in his hand. Gasped and started shaking.
It was, in a word, perfect.
Of course, she said yes. And they had a cute funny moment where he said, “Okay, you can put it on” (meaning the ring), and she laughed and replied, “No, YOU have to put it on me!” So he slipped her beautiful ring on her finger, and they embraced, both smiling from ear to ear.
Craig's family had been there to witness it, of course, and they clapped and cheered.
But wait. It gets even better.
When we were in the planning phases, Craig told me that he was going to have Ilyssa's mom and dad there to see the proposal, but that she would have no idea about this, either. So after he asked her to marry him, and as they were smiling, kissing, and hugging...her mom and dad ran out from the spot where they'd been hiding and watching and tapped her on the shoulder.
She turned around, saw her parents, shrieked at the top of her lungs and began jumping up and down, absolutely floored and giddy.
Hugs and laughter and tears of joy were abundant, and once everyone had a chance to calm down, we did a few more group portraits and included Ilyssa's sweet parents as both sides of the family celebrated the happy occasion, then we ended on some photos of just the newly engaged couple.
From start to finish, this was one of those sessions that just made me feel so grateful that I get to do what I do for a living, that I get to help families in their happiest moments, and that I get to be a part of things like this. I don't take that lightly and I'm always honored when I get to help out with something this important. (And Craig: you totally knocked it out of the park, my friend. This was the perfect proposal in every way!)
Congratulations, Craig and Ilyssa! We are so incredibly happy for you and so delighted we were able to help with the proposal. And to the entire Ettelman family, thank you for a joyful session with your beautiful family. It was truly a pleasure and I hope you enjoy the photos for years to come!
