Engagement
Popping the Question
Before your wedding day and before you have children, the day you become engaged is often the happiest day of your life. If you're planning on popping the question, plan one more thing--a photographer to capture the moment.
If you or someone you know is planning a special proposal, get in touch!
Matthew & Emily
Matthew and Emily's proposal started with the perfect plan that only became more amazing as time went on. They found the most incredible location through a reel on Instagram and knew it was the spot where they wanted to get engaged. Matthew made a transatlantic trip to join Emily here in England where she's currently serving in the U.S. armed forces, and then trekked three hours north to the Peak District for their dream proposal shoot.
It was three days after Christmas and the whole area was abuzz. An abundance of traffic delayed their planned arrival time, the picturesque village of Castleton drew in so many people that parking was a struggle, and the area was almost entirely engulfed in fog. When they arrived, we all piled into my car (my husband, my daughter, Matthew, Emily, my dog, and myself) and headed up to a cattle grid near the footpath that would lead us up the pass. My husband dropped us off at the side of this busy road and up we went.
Sheep were everywhere, traffic was flowing, and the hillside was slick with the dampness of winter. Matthew and Emily were looking absolutely fabulous (totally overdressed for hiking up a hill), so we drew some puzzled queries from walkers on their way down. I can just imagine what three Americans, two in formalwear, trekking up a hill when the sun is about to set on a very foggy winter day, must have looked like to a local.
We walked maybe a third of the way up and fog was absolutely everywhere. Visibility beyond our immediate surroundings was nil as a blanket of white hung in the air. We took a few photos before pressing on, determined to get to the iconic spot they had envisioned for their photos. The determination paid off--as we ascended the pass, the fog began to lift just enough to show the sheer magnificence of the valley below.
It was here that Matthew revealed the small black box he had been carrying with the most beautiful ring inside. He dropped to one knee, told Emily everything she meant to him, and asked her to be his bride. Of course she said yes, but that wasn't all--she was also ready with a ring for him, and together they stood, on top of the world in more ways than one, ready to enter into the next beautiful chapter in their lives.
And while Matthew and Emily, the epitomes of grace, made it to the top and back down in a picture-perfect state, it was me in my hiking boots and jeans that slipped down the hill, fell in a pile of dirt, and dropped Matthew's boots in sheep poop. I'd say it was totally worth it for the pictures we got.
Dan & Hannah
When Dan was set to propose to Hannah, he had enlisted a mutual friend to capture it on video. Fortunately, that friend asked me to come along and do the still photography, and the result was incredible. I spent a while hiding along the banks of the River Cam like a paparazzi, waiting for their punt to round the bend into view. After the punter stopped and Dan went ashore to pop the question (spoiler alert: Hannah said yes!), the four of us hopped in the boat and finished the rest of the riverside tour while basking in their newly engaged bliss. It was an unforgettable evening.
