{"id":18267,"date":"2023-07-19T17:18:06","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T00:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tomellisphoto.com\/blog\/?p=18267"},"modified":"2023-07-19T17:18:06","modified_gmt":"2023-07-20T00:18:06","slug":"seattle-area-surprise-marriage-proposal-at-willows-lodge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tomellisphoto.com\/blog\/seattle-area-surprise-marriage-proposal-at-willows-lodge\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle Area Surprise Marriage Proposal at Willows Lodge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ryan’s Surprise Marriage Proposal to Jenny at Willows Lodge<\/h1>\n

As with most surprise wedding proposals, I never meet the couple before the day of the actual shoot.\u00a0 This can make things interesting since often I have no idea what the couple looks like.\u00a0 Even if I have been sent a photo, changes of clothing can make it challenging to recognize people you’ve only seen in a photo.\u00a0 And with a Surprise Proposal it is really rare that I am able to talk to the person who is initiating the proposal on the day of the event.\u00a0 While it can be a little nerve wracking it is still part of the fun!<\/p>\n

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In this case Ryan contacted me a few weeks in advance to see if I had the date available, and if this was something\u00a0that I could do.\u00a0 As it turned out, I also had a wedding booked for the same day, but I was not scheduled to be at the wedding venue until mid-afternoon, and it looked like late morning was the best time for the proposal.\u00a0 So we were\u00a0a go for the session!<\/div>\n
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Ryan and girlfriend Jenny were going to be staying at the Willows Lodge<\/a>, so I needed to discuss with Ryan some good possible locations at the Lodge to do the proposal.\u00a0 I have done many weddings and engagement sessions at Willows Lodge and know the grounds very well, so I gave Ryan a couple of ideas.\u00a0 He then made a trip to the Lodge to check out my suggestions and let me know his favorite.\u00a0 The plan was that he would take Jenny on a morning\u00a0walk on the Lodge grounds and once in the correct location do the proposal.<\/div>\n
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The day of the session I arrived at the Lodge about 15 minutes early and texted Ryan that I was there, and asked when they would be ready to start their walk.\u00a0 It was a good thing that I was early because Jenny was ready to go out the door right then!\u00a0 I ran to the location where we had agreed to meet and quickly set up.\u00a0 I like to try to hide from sight when possible, and if not to hide in plain sight by acting as a photographer\u00a0who is just out taking photos.\u00a0 In this case, as I was trying to set up in a hiding place Ryan and Jenny appeared while I was completely exposed.\u00a0 So I picked\u00a0up my tripod and gave them a wave as I walked past them and around the corner of the building.\u00a0 Then I doubled back to catch the proposal as it happened.<\/div>\n
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It has been my experience that once the recipient of the proposal (especially if it’s a woman) realizes that a proposal is about to happen, they rarely pay any attention to their surroundings.\u00a0 And I usually am a decent distance away, shooting with a big telephoto lens.\u00a0 \u00a0This was the case with Jenny, and I was able to get plenty of good shots as Ryan dropped to one knee and presented the ring, as you’ll see in the photos below.<\/div>\n
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Once the proposal and subsequent kissing were finished I picked up my gear and went to meet the couple.\u00a0 Jenny laughed about our earlier close encounter and said she had just thought I was out getting photos of the grounds.<\/div>\n
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We then had a very pleasant hour or so of wandering the grounds\u00a0of the Lodge and taking photos wherever\u00a0it seemed appropriate.\u00a0 I really enjoyed our time together, and think we got a lot of good photos.\u00a0 You can now check out a selection of those photos below.<\/div>\n
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You can see more of this kind of session on my blog page at this link<\/a><\/div>\n

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