An Atlanta Engagement
In 2022 I found myself in a spot that I’ve talked with many other guys who also are in this spot. Their significant other knowing a proposal is coming and having a rough idea of when but trying to still make it surprise and not make it obvious. Surprising her was at the top of the list for me so I knew I had to be clever to do so because she knew it would probably range in a two month span.
I started early on by looking at rings. For me, having the ring picked out really helped to shift this plan into drive so I dove into that to begin with and after a few weeks of learning information that I’ll probably never use again I found the perfect ring for her. It was a special moment committing to this ring. After having the ring (which I made sure was ultra hidden the few months before the actual engagement) I shifted into the planning stage.
In my mind, I needed a way to create a diversion. I knew she would be looking for any clue or sign so rather than trying to be ultra sneaky I thought the best plan would be to give her very obvious signs pointing in one direction to throw her off. Let me explain. We started dating in October of 2021 and we always talked about getting engaged around October 2022. My plan was to use our 1 year anniversary as a huge misdirection & then the very next day on a meaningless random Monday I wanted to jump into action. With the rough idea formed I wanted to pick location next.
I wanted somewhere memorable because I wanted a photographer there of course and so I wanted a location that I was proud of. I went out with friends and scouted out a few places in Atlanta. We started with Ponce City Market. It’s a great place don’t get me wrong but wasn’t right for me. I really wanted a skyline view or a view of some kind. I knew it had to be close because going to another state would send alarms off. We checked out Atlantic Station next. But once again it didn’t have the vibes I wanted. Then we checked out Piedmont Park. Instantly I knew this was the place. It was perfect because it was beautiful but also a place we had never been together so unlike the other places where it might hit some alarms this was just a park in Atlanta that we had no memories of. It was starting to come together. Next was to start focusing on the details.
The full plan was this. The day of our 1 year engagement I was going to be very secretive and take her to all these locations where we had huge core memories at. I started with our first date, then first kiss, first meal together, the place where we said ‘I love you’ etc. Each location talking about what this location was / is for us. Building up to what she thought was gonna surely this is the moment he proposes. And after each location & memory we just moved on. We said our goodnight and day 1 of two was achieved. I knew day 2 would be a far bigger task.
The plan for this day was to find a way to get us to piedmont park without her suspecting anything so a few days prior I had set up a script to which I sent my friend that he would text me when I was with her to make it look like this conversation was happening in real time. So with the script he asked me if I was down to go to Piedmont Park to hang & he would snag a few pictures of us as a 1 year anniversary gift. It was not out of the ordinary to receive a text like that. This worked on a few levels. It got us to the location and threw her off the scent because we were meeting my friends there. It also gave an excuse to dress up a bit since pictures were being taken of us.
So I had the location, the means of the location, the ring, the photographer all ready. I also had an after party set up which I invited close friends and family to. I opted for this over having friends and family there at the location because I wanted to have that first little bit just be her & I. I was very careful that day and told everyone to not text me anything just in the off chance she saw and it went all up in flames.
I took a deep breath and went to pick her up. One mistake or one slip and all of it could have been spoiled. We arrived and started to walk to the spot. As we neared I saw our photographer ready to go in the distance. We got to the spot and my nerves were through the roof. The months of planning right here in front of me. I didn’t have a plan of how I was gonna jump into it but I trusted myself to find the right time. I called my friend and told him we had arrived and he told me he was a few behind me (he was no where near helping set up the after party). After I hung up my wife started to say how she was so certain I was gonna propose yesterday and that there was like 10 times where she thought I was gonna do it.. and at that moment I knew this was the perfect set up. I dropped down to a knee and said alright how about I do it now! Our photographer shoot out of the trees and I asked that huge question to which she was literally shocked and did the classic hands on face pose lol. She said yes and in that moment I sighed the biggest sigh of relief that all of my efforts had worked. We got pictures there and spent that time talking about so much. The ring, the set up, the after party I had set, and so many small moments I had to keep secret over the last few months. We were quite literally living in a dream.
We spent the night with people we loved. It was perfect. I’m a perfectionist big time but I wouldn’t change a thing about it.
I share this with all of you because I want you, as my client, to know that I completely understand just how precious and significant these moments are. I understand the anxiety and nerves that can come with planning some of the most significant events of your life. These moments are once in a lifetime and I know how much rides on the details. I want to use my experiences to help advise and empathize with those that I shoot. These events are so much more than just photography for me. As someone who has gone through it myself, I am more than happy to advise and help you with whatever event you might be preparing for.
We got engaged 366 days after starting dating. A cloudy and misty boring Monday. Just like I always imagined.
