Marina & George

Because it was my very first, I remember this day more clearly than most, and it started the same way every proposal I photograph still starts today, with a meeting with the person planning to ask. I am a quiet person by nature, but sitting down with George to plan the surprise filled me with so much excitement. We hashed out every detail together, from where Marina would walk in and where I would hide to the signal and the timing, and most of all, the feeling George wanted Marina to have in that moment. That conversation taught me how much a proposal means to the person planning it, and I have carried that with me ever since.

George planned everything with so much care. A path of red rose petals led up to a pavilion right on the water, with a heart made of petals and glowing MARRY ME letters waiting at the end of it. Seeing it all set up before Marina arrived, with the sun starting to go down over the lake, I could tell how much love had gone into every part of it.

A surprise on the water at Sunday Park

Then Marina came up the path, and the surprise was completely real. Watching Marina take it all in, with the realization coming one step at a time, is something I will never forget. By the time George was down on one knee there was nothing left to figure out but the answer, and what followed was a rush of happy tears and hugs in the middle of that heart of petals while the light turned gold over the water. It was a beautiful surprise, and honestly, it was just so cute!

I treat every proposal with love and respect, because someone is trusting me with one of the biggest moments of their life, and I do everything I can to make it feel magical and memorable. Everything I do at a proposal today, from planning the signal to hiding with a long lens, started with George and Marina by the water at Sunday Park. If you are planning to ask anywhere around Richmond or Northern Virginia, I would love to sit down with you and plan it together.