Parker shared with us almost 6 months ago that he was ready to pop the big question but wanted to wait until after our wedding in September. We could tell he wasn’t sure exactly how or when, but as the holiday season approached, we knew it was getting close. Parker bought the ring a week before thanksgiving in Atlanta, we knew a proposal was imminent and offered our help on capturing his big day. Parker’s initial plan (laid out under fireworks on the 4th) remarkably was not that far off the final one. Sand, a ring, and loved ones to celebrate nearby were the key.

A week before the big day, we called Parker and nailed down the details. We scheduled the session to go out to the beach for a couples and family photoshoot. Parker and Jessica, Wesley and Matthew, and Parker’s family.  Parker coordinated with  Jessica’s family who would be waiting right around the corner to surprise her. Everyone was in on the plan except for Jessica!

Our family spends nearly every Christmas on St. Simons Island with Parker’s family. We were able to observe Parker and Jessica’s interactions throughout the week as we celebrated Christmas, Parker’s birthday, and time with family and friends. We had to play it cool to keep the surprise proposal a secret when Jessica would ask us questions like what to wear to the session, or where we would take pictures if it rained.

Knowing that the big moment was right around the corner was so much fun!  The weather forecasts were not quite as joyous, and it was rainy and cold for the big day. Thankfully Jessica was so excited about pictures that it did not faze her a bit! Everyone else gathered under umbrella’s and blankets as we walked out to the beach.  Jessica’s smile was constant and Parker may have been sweating a bit.

We started with Matthew and Wesley to break the ice and make sure Jessica would not get suspicious.  About five minutes into our session we received a call letting us know that Jessica’s parents were already at the beach, they were so excited. We rushed through a few more poses with Matthew and Wesley before we started with Jessica and Parker.

Our original plan was to wait until Parker would make a comment to Isaac to ‘take better pictures’ before setting up a pose that Parker could get down on one knee.  We couldn’t tell Parker but we knew we needed to speed things up.  After just a few pictures we were able to get Jessica focused on us, so Parker was far enough behind Jessica to get down on one knee. Once Parker finally got her attention (she was glued to the camera!), he popped the question “Will you be my wife?”, she said YES!, and the families came in for congratulations. Her smile throughout the rest of the pictures on the beach was infections and carried over to the family pictures as well.

 

Know someone who is planning a proposal and wants to capture every special moment? Let us know!

AS FEATURED ON HOW HE ASKED BY THE KNOT.