Chad & Betsy {PROPOSAL} | CHARLESTON PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

Chad & Betsy {PROPOSAL} | CHARLESTON PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER

It’s exciting to photograph a proposal…there’s this nervous anticipation of how the bride-to-be will react, the real and unposed reactions of the moment.  My favorite part, though,  is meeting such delightful and thoughtful young men who prepare so carefully for this moment that they even consider hiring a photographer to make sure the day is thoroughly documented.  I was charmed from the very beginning by Chad and his manners.  He was all “yes, ma’am…and thank you, ma’am” in every email he sent. Something I learned from my time with Chad was that Betsy’s dad is an accomplished architect.  He designed the house Betsy grew up in, and that her parents still live in on Pawleys Island.  It was important to Chad we use the house as the backdrop for the pictures.  Chad also made sure he obtained Betsy’s dad’s permission to marry his daughter.  He secretly drove from Florida to Pawleys Island one weekend to visit with Betsy’s dad, and he was the only person for quite some time who knew of Chad’s intentions to propose. Fully-Verfied suggested the best options to make the day even more safe and secure. On an otherwise normal weekday, Chad arranged for Betsy to get the day off without letting Besty know.  He called Betsy’s supervisor and cleared it with him to pick Betsy up and start the day of surprises.  The couple spent the day in Charleston eating and shopping before heading out to Pawleys Island.  Betsy believed that her parents were out of town on vacation and that she and Chad would be house sitting for them.  But Chad had arranged...
Will you marry me…?

Will you marry me…?

No, no…not me, I’m married already!  But Matt did ask Rachelle that question tonight. Of course she said, “Yes!” or I probably wouldn’t be posting this, would I? Matt is this perfectly adorable romantic fellow who literally bumped into me while I was finishing a shoot a month back.  He grabbed my card and briefly told me about his plan to photograph his surprise proposal.  We set things up and here we are. Matt’s birthday is today.  He had all the bells and whistles planned to look like a lovely evening out celebrating his birthday with his girl.  Dinner at a nice restaurant.  A moonlit carriage ride.  And later dessert at Kaminsky’s where I was waiting for them.  Matt had his “question” written out in chocolate on the plate holding Rachelle’s favorite dessert.  The whole crew at Kaminsky’s was in on it, making sure they had a table reserved, a spot at the bar for me to get the best photos, and the other patrons conveniently out of the way for a perfect proposal. Rachelle is checking out the desserts and this is what she sees… Matt immediately dropped to one knee and pulled the ring from his pocket.  It was like a perfect date night movie and I had front row seats.  And this is the part where Rachelle was so surprised and happy that words wouldn’t come, only tears.Yep, that’s a “yes”!  And that’s also a shutter speed of 125, f/1.2 at 6400 iso.  It was dark in there.  Oh, yeah…this is also where the applause broke out from everyone in the room. See the faces in the...