Surprise Proposal Session in Middlebury, Indiana

It was an incredible honor to photograph this proposal that took place at West on Warren in May!

Y’all. Where do I start with this one?

David reached out to me in late April to let me know that a surprise would be happening for his girlfriend, Taya, in late May. The ultimate goal of the surprise? A beautiful proposal in front of her family and friends.

I’ve known Taya for about five years now through a previous job, and I had the pleasure of getting to know David and his family during another surprise photoshoot, an extended family session in November.

It was the first time I had met David during that shoot, but it was so evident how much he cared for Taya, and just how beautifully their families blended together.

And beyond all of that, just how cute is this couple?

So Taya and David had been high school sweethearts. As life took them different directions and carried them through different experiences, ultimately the universe lead them back to each other.

This time for good….

David was attempting to pull off a pretty big feat with this proposal. Taya is a bit of a sleuth when it comes to anything sneaky going on around her. So everyone involved had to be sworn to absolute secrecy to make this thing happen.

David kept me in the loop as plans progressed, and I had to play dumb when Taya reached out about ordering some portraits as a gift for David’s mom because they were taking her out to dinner for her birthday (wrong!) and she was thinking maybe that would be something nice to order her. Is it weird that I got a little choked up thinking “Oh, Taya….you’ve got good things coming your way…”

And when David and I chatted on the phone on his way home from work the day before the proposal, I couldn’t help but to get goosebumps as he walked through the plan one more time and shared just how excited he was about proposing. These two….so adorable.

I arrived at West on Warren in Middlebury about a half hour prior to Taya, David and crew to check in with the staff to make sure all was ready and get into position. I needed to be out of sight when they arrived, because…well a camera around my neck and just happing to be in the same place at the same time as them probably wouldn’t make for a great addition to the surprise. I headed up to the top deck of the patio and waited for them to be seated below.

Just hanging out on the rooftop,

ready to signal the musician that it

was time…

Also it should be noted that I was

ill-prepared and should have

worn my usual 50SPF…but it was worth it.

Then the cast and crew of the production arrived. And arrived. And arrived some more. And all of them had to quietly sneak into the restaurant courtyard undetected by Taya. So I gave a little whistle to the hostess below to signal her to casually close the courtyard gate so the crowd could pass by without being spotted.

The musician was qued and he began to play their song, Wonderful Tonight. David pulled out a blindfold and placed it over Taya’s eyes and her friends and family quietly but excitedly got into position.

The blindfold was removed, and Taya saw before her a sea of friends and family. She got a little misty eyed and announced “My birthday was awhile ago!”

David pulled her just far enough away from the crowd to quietly say what I’m sure were adorably sweet things about her and their relationship before calling forward their children to have them be apart of the moment. Each child placed their hand in the pile with the top hand holding the ring box. And from there, David dropped to a knee and popped the question.

And as she said “yes!” a crowd of cheers went up from loved ones and restaurant patrons and staff alike!

I had chills!

A particularly cool moment that took place as they celebrated was everyone gathering around them and praying over them. I ran upstairs to be able to catch an overhead view of this moment and you could genuinely feel the good energy and support surrounding this couple.

I stole David and Taya away for a brief moment to capture a few shots of the Future Mr. & Mrs. on this beautiful evening. These two are so much fun to be around and I could not be happier for them!

In a much less quiet and organized fashion than they entered, the entire party then joined us for a few group images, cheers, and laughs.

David, I can’t thank you enough for trusting me to be a small part of such a big day for you and Taya! I am beyond happy for the two of you and your wonderful families and wish you nothing but love and happiness for the rest of your days!