When it comes to capturing an amazing proposal, we have a few ingredients we always like to make sure are present for the big moment. 1) The element of surprise, 2) A great scene/composition, and 3) Good light. 2 of the 3 things we can’t quite control but the element of surprise can be 50/50 in our experience. There is so much pressure from society as it pertains to proposing now and how one is supposed to go about it. Years ago, you rarely had a photographer there to capture it. Now it’s basically a must. Years ago, the ring was a complete surprise, not in our experience most go with their partner to pick it out. When we first started capturing proposals it was almost always a surprise, then somewhere in the middle ages (kidding) it became apparent most girls knew it was coming. Lately there seems to be a resurgence of surprise reactions and I have to tell you, we absolutely love it! We’ve been blessed to be working with some amazing couples lately for their surprise proposals and we’ve had so many sweet reactions!
One of our most memorable from this past engagement season was Ethan and Victoria’s surprise engagement at The Biltmore in Asheville, NC! For those of you who’ve been following us for a while you know the majority of our proposals are captured at The Biltmore Estate and for good reason, there are so many amazing spots to choose from! Ethan knew this going in when he contacted us to capture his proposal and unlike a lot of guys who contact us about a week or two out, Ethan contacted us well in advance of the date he had in mind. It was obvious from the tone of the emails and questions Ethan was asking, he is absolutely crazy about Victoria! After narrowing all the timing down, and picking out the perfect location, mother nature decided to make us move to plan B as the weather was looking like definite rain on the day and time he was planning on proposing. Thankfully The Biltmore has one beautiful indoor location we can shoot when it comes to these types of sessions and our Plan B was for the conservatory. It was tough to shoot in here the last couple of years with all the different restrictions but thankfully this scenic indoor area is back open and looking as beautiful as ever! After adjusting as needed that morning, we shifted to the conservatory and set up. At first we were a little worried because of the crowding. The one negative about shooting the conservatory on a rainy day is everyone can tend to get the same idea and we were definitely dealing with a crowded space. It comes with the territory shooting at popular places around the area and you just have to roll with it sometimes. Thankfully on this day, as Ethan took a knee and Victoria pulled her hands to her face after she gasped, everyone walking around gained a sense of the moment and what was going on. It was like something out of a Hallmark movie. The crowds of people all stopped and gave space all the while remaining dead silent. Once Victoria said yes, and and fell into Ethan for a big hug, the crowd erupted into a celebration clapping, and cheering. The happy tears flowed, and the laughs began soon after as all of the strangers who feared witness to this special moment congratulated them on their engagement! It was easily one of our favorite proposals from this past year and one we think you enjoy following along on!
