Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden romantic wedding proposal | Charlotte wedding photographers

As featured on Charlotte Brides!

We’ve all seen the pictures taken from behind bushes or around walls of THAT MOMENT when he gets down on bended knee.  And believe me, I love those moments.  But when I found out that Austin had purchased a ring and was planning a romantic wedding proposal for Risa, I knew that I wanted to help make it a once in a lifetime moment for them.

Behind the scenes of a romantic wedding proposal

I’m going to be honest, this was a lot of work.  I had a vision, and with Austin’s full consent I went a little crazy.  Think about planning someone’s own proposal WITH their full participation and the participation of many other vendors WITHOUT giving away the “catch”.  The catch was, of course, that we had to have Risa dressed to the nines without having her suspect it was for any reason other than a styled photoshoot.  Luckily Austin’s sister is one of my very best friends and I had her running interference.  We shopped for the perfect outfits for both Austin and Risa, and I had the pleasure of working with many of my favorite wedding vendors to make this an absolute success.

Surprisingly enough, the day of the shoot I was very nervous!  What if she knows?  What if she figures it out at first glance?  How the heck am I going to photograph them for half of the shoot before he gets to pop the question???

The actual proposal

The plan was for us to move forward as if it was any other shoot, and for me to direct the couple as I would normally.  We had two stunning outfits for Risa and I had saved the GLORIOUS Erin Grey Couture skirt for the second half when I knew he would propose.  As the time moved forward, Austin began to get a bit nervous 🙂  When Risa emerged in her second outfit I took a few moments to get her alone, and then we moved to where we had decided he would propose.  I had the ring inside my camera slingpack and had to make up an excuse to get close enough to Austin to make the handoff.  THIS was the most nervous I have ever been with a camera in my hand!!!  I handed Austin the ringbox while his hand was behind his back and quickly stepped back to catch the proposal!

After Austin asked, and Risa caught her breath we had a lot of fun taking more pictures, and Austin presented his book of “Reasons I want to Marry You” as well as the delicious cookies Ines handcrafted for the couple.  To say this was an amazing experience would be an understatement.  This was something I could absolutely do every.single.day.

Amazing Charlotte wedding vendors:

VENUE: Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden | www.dsbg.org | @danielstowebotanicalgarden
PHOTOGRAPHER: Amy Kolodziej, Sunshower Photography | www.sunshowerphotography.com | @sunshowerphotography
HAIR & MAKEUP: Lindsay Pizzuti, Mirror Bomb Studio | www.mirrorbombstudio.com | @mirrorbomb
CONSULTANT, ASSISTANT: Therese Brooks, Charlotte Brides | @charlottebrides
ASSISTANT: Samantha Stone
STYLIST: Brittny Meekins, Carefully Curated | carefullycurated.wixsite.com/home | @carefullycuratedbyeb
CALLIGRAPHY: Kathy Leonard, Ocean & Coral Calligraphy | www.oceanandcoralcalligraphy.com | @oceanandcoralcalligraphy
PATISSERIE: Ines Aranguren, Sky’s The Limit Bridal Sweets | www.stlbridalsweets.com | @stlcake
GOWN: Sorella Vita, J. Major’s Bridal Boutique | www.jmajors.com | @jmajorsbridal
SKIRT: Erin Grey Couture | www.eringreycouture.com | @eringreycouture
HER SHOES: Jimmy Choo | us.jimmychoo.com | @jimmychoo
TUXEDO: Dolce & Gabbana, Revolve | www.revolvecharlotte.com | @revolveclt
HIS SHOES: Ferragamo, Revolve | www.revolvecharlotte.com | @revolveclt
FLORAL DESIGN: Ashley Pittman, Bookout Blooms | www.bookoutblooms.com | @bookoutblooms
DECOR: BHDLN | www.bhldn.com | @bhldn
GLASS DESIGN: Slumpy’s | www.slumpys.com | @slumpys
RING: Jared’s Galleria of Jewelry | www.jared.com
RING BOX: The Mrs. Box | www.themrsbox.com | @the_mrs_box