Category: Surprise Proposals

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Recently i shot a surprise proposal at Piedmont Park Atlanta. I really enjoy capturing these types moments because you always get a once in a lifetime reaction. You always hear about the master proposal plan but sometimes it might just have to be tweaked because things don’t turn out exactly as planned. This was the case with this proposal. Keith had the vision of it happening at Atlanta Botanical Gardens but Tatiana’s flight arrival time was extended and by the time they arrived at the location it was closed. Now on to plan B.  Keith made a quick decision to propose at the near by Piedmont Park.  I got to do some stealth mission photography since my goal was not to be seen until the proposal begins. At the end of the day everything worked out and Tatiana said YES! Check out the pictures below and also a short story on Keith’s plan from the start.  Enjoy!

Tatiana and I met in 2007 at the University of Illinois. I was in my last year of law school and she was in her last year of graduate school. After graduation we both became employed in Georgia.  However last year she moved to Jonesboro, Arkansas to work for Nestle. Since that time she flies to Georgia every weekend to visit. I don’t fly out there much because there is nothing to do in Arkansas.

When I decided to propose I knew I initially wanted to do it outside. Nature has always been sacred to the both of us. So my plan was to propose at Atlanta’s Botanical Garden on Valentine Day weekend. I chose V-Day weekend because she would never expect I would propose during that time. Since I have made numerous comments about how commercialized it is. I told Afolabi I would be at the Gardens at 2pm.  However due to some unforeseen circumstances by the time we arrived it was 5pm, and they had just closed.  By this time I was panicking a little and called Afolabi on the phone (he was hiding nearby), advised him of the situation and told him I would do it at nearby Piedmont Park. He suggested I do it by the water, and it was perfect. She never saw him and she had no clue what was going on. She thought we were going on a horse and carriage ride through the park.

Harry contacted me a few weeks before his grand plan to ask if a could capture the special moment. I was really excited about the opportunity and also the fact that i’ve worked with them before . I was very happy for Harry as his plan worked to perfection and off course Geetha said “YES”!! The proposal was done on the rooftop of the W hotel Downtown. . This is my second roof top proposal coverage (Aziz and Dion) so i was very prepared :). Below is a short story from the bride-to-be’s perspective and a few shots from the day. Enjoy

Meeting Harry was nothing short of “by Divine design.”   Of all the billions of people and places in the world that my perfect other half could have been….he lived just five floors below me in our condo building!  There is no way that our meeting could be chalked up to mere serendipity.  We have shared the most memorable, blessed, and magical sixteen months of our lives.  Harry possesses a true gift in turning what might otherwise be considered mundane into something absolutely extraordinary and magical.,,or something that would be memorable into something unforgettable.  The day that Harry proposed, he told me we would be celebrating a huge milestone in my life… the 5-year anniversary of beating cancer (I am a breast cancer survivor).  He told me he would pick me up at 6:30, but when I left my office building that Friday, Harry was no where to be found, but instead he had sent a black towncar with a driver!  The driver took me to the W Hotel Downtown, where Harry stood beaming and dangerously handsome in his suit.  He handed me a single rose and said that he wanted to share more milestones with me.  After champagne, and strawberries and chocolates, the W’s manager said “we’re ready for you.”  I thought we were going to have dinner at the steakhouse in the hotel, but instead, the manager led us to a set of hidden elevators, and pressed the top floor labelled “H.”  I had no idea what it stood for.  When we got to the top, we stepped out…and were literally outside atop the W Hotel and….there was a helicopter waiting for us!  My jaw dropped.  After a breakthtaking tour of Atlanta by helicopter where we saw the sun go down and the sky radiate pink and purple hues, we landed on top of the Helipad and Harry walked me to one side of the helicopter, and asked me if I was happy.  No words could begin to express the sheer joy I have experienced with Harry these last sixteen months.  He said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me and then on bent knee proposed against a  backdrop of the Atlanta skyline ensconsced by the cotton candy sky.  The tears of joy kept coming and coming…and when I thought nothing could get better than this…Harry turned me around, only for me to find my parents, Harry’s parents, and his sister standing there on the helipad!  Being able to share the most joyous moment of our lives with our families meant more than the world to both of us. So….just like that, Harry turned the anniversary of the hardest period of my life, into the happiest moment of my life.  As surreal as this fairytale proposal was…the best part is that every day I get to be loved by Harry feels like this.  Truth be told, I could not have conjured a man as amazing as Harry even in my wildest dreams, where imagination knows no bounds!