John had just received a promotion and invited Natalie to his company dinner to celebrate, only it wasn’t a company dinner at all.
He asked her to arrive early because it was imperative he arrive promptly for the special occasion. Natalie arrived dressed in her best 15 minutes before the dinner, but was surprised when John asked her to come in. When she walked inside, he was sitting on the couch. Again, having made such an effort to be there early, she was confused. Just before they walked out the door, he told her he had a present for her. She thought the timing was odd…but of course was happy to accept his gift!! 🙂 The gift was an album of their photos over the past two years; it included the first night they met, her dog, and so many photos of their relationship and memories that they’d made together. In the back of her mind somewhere she thought that MAYBE this was the moment but quickly brushed the thought away. John narrated the entire book as she flipped through and at the end, was a coupon: “Redeem immediately for one free magic trick.”
“Music or no music?” John asked…in which she opted for music. John took the coupon, crumbled it and stuffed it in his hand. Then, he instructed her to wave her finger. As she did, the paper began to rise above and float in the air following the movements of her finger. And then….she recognized the song: “Marry Me” by Bruno Mars. She almost lost control of the paper with her excitement when he took it from her and crumbled it into the shape of a ring. Lastly, right before her eyes, he lit the paper on fire and it transformed into an actual engagement ring!!! 🙂 <—ok… COME on…how COOL is his proposal?!!!!
She happily accepted the proposal but the surprise wasn’t over. Natalie’s parents were in town, and the dinner was actually an engagement celebration with their parents!
Natalie + John opted to shoot their engagements in the city of their wedding: New Orleans. We spent the afternoon in the french quarter enjoying the buzz of the city and the bright sunlight. It was such a pleasure getting to know both John + Natalie and having the opportunity to photograph them together. For me, the aspect of their relationship that stood out the most was their ability to laugh. Together, they are constantly smiling and making life fun. I’m excited to be working with them…and especially excited to photograph a couple so in love! Enjoy the preview of their engagements!!!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!!
Catherine
