PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Friday, April 24, 2015

How To Get a Photographer to Photograph Her Own Proposal

David first reached out to me in September 2014, just days after assisting his then girlfriend, Gaciel, photograph the surprise proposal for Amar and Priyanka in Miami. After realizing I was the mastermind behind their proposal, he was excited to discuss how I could help plan his.

As a professional photographer, Gaciel is no stranger to witnessing special memories in people's lives, be it proposals, weddings or baby showers. So in planning David and Gaciel's proposal, I knew I had to incorporate her love for capturing those moments. But how was I going to get a photographer to photograph her own proposal? In the words of Barney Stinson, "Challenge accepted."

After looking through Gaciel's business Facebook page, I realized she does a lot of work for a South Asian wedding decor company, Suhaag Garden, as the vast majority of photos featured were from events they had designed. So I contacted the owners of Suhaag Garden, Jilna and Jigar, who turns out -- not surprisingly -- are good friends with Gaciel and David. 

Armed with this new-found revelation, I hatched the perfect plan: I asked Suhaag Garden to arrange a photo shoot at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, as part of a "sample table Jilna was setting up for a client's upcoming wedding." Gaciel was happy to oblige, as it was an opportunity to both, enjoy doing what she loves, and get a chance to hang out with Jilna and Jigar.


Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spots

While David frequently accompanies Gaciel during photo shoots to assist, figuring out how to also bring her two sons along -- that too, on a school day -- required a bit of a white lie. Luckily, Gaciel fell for it and the four of them arrived at the Marriott's outdoor pool deck where a fully adorned table awaited them. 

Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spots

Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spotsGaciel got right down to work and began shooting every detail, from the roses to the silk blush napkins. About 30 minutes into it, Jilna said to take a break while she made some adjustments to the decor. (Code word for "it's show time"). Jilna added a second layer of centerpiece to the already stunning design. This was made of two glass posts bridged together with golden branches and white orchids. Long crystal beads hung from the branches, along with personalized photo ornaments. David had handpicked the photos and phrases he wanted for this occasion, as they signified special moments in David, Gaciel and her two kids' lives.

Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spots

Just as Jilna was putting the finishing touches on the centerpiece, Gaciel walked over to begin photographing the new addition. But David quickly swooped in to replace the camera in her hand with something else she will cherish for the rest of her life. Gaciel's kids, Sebastian and Maximiliano, who are quite the pros themselves with the camera, captured these candid moments and made it a true family affair.    


Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spots

Whether you're a hopeless romantic or just plain hopeless, contact Ever After Proposals to see how we can help give you creative, personalized marriage proposal ideas, bring them to life and make you shine as brightly as the ring on her hand. 


Ever After Proposals, Suhaag Garden, Gaciel Santana Photography, Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, marriage proposal planner, surprise marriage proposal, Miami marriage proposal spots

Find us on FacebookTwitter and Pinterest.  And remember to give me a ring before you give her the ring. 

Credits:

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Penguins of Madagascar... and Proposals

Vik told me that his girlfriend, Jill, absolutely loves three things: anything French (including fries?), wine (my kinda girl) and penguins. Yes, the last one made me scratch my head a bit too, but I thought, let's go with it. And so we did. 
Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas

Since Vik and Jill's families live near Philadelphia, we decided to keep the proposal in the vicinity so they could all celebrate the engagement together later that day. Luckily, Philadelphia is (fun fact alert) the birthplace of America's first zoo and home to more than 1300 animals, including -- you guessed it -- penguins. Best of all, the Zoo offers guests a rare opportunity to "adopt" select animals through a special program, which allows private meet and greets with their "pet."  


Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas

Vik jumped at the idea since it was the perfect ruse. Vik and Jill first took a walk around the Zoo and then decided to check out the Penguins Exhibition while they were "conveniently" the only visitors there. During the private meet and greet tour, the Zookeeper was sure to share some interesting (yet true!) facts about penguins, including these three specific ones:

    Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas, engagement diamond ring
  1. They are monogamous. 
  2. Both the male and the female share incubation and chick rearing, meaning both male and female take turns sitting on the egg and they both care for the young.
  3. Male Gentoo penguins search through piles of pebbles to find the smoothest, most perfect one to present as a gift. If the female approves, she will put it in her nest and they become a pair. Males will even fight over the best rock.

Right as the Zookeeper made the third point, Vik pretended to look around on the ground for the “best rock” by saying, “So you mean that if I were a penguin and wanted to be paired up with Jill for life, I would have to present her with a rock like this?” (And yes, that diamond rock was actually placed inside a real rock!) 


Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas

Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas, Han DynastyLater that evening, Jill and Vik headed over to Han Dynasty, their favorite local restaurant, for (another) surprise celebration with their families. As a final nod to Jill's love for penguins, we set the table with this custom place card. And just like that, another couple started their happily ever after.   


Whether you're a hopeless romantic or just plain hopeless, contact Ever After Proposals to see how we can help give you creative, personalized marriage proposal ideas, bring them to life and make you shine as brightly as the ring on her hand. 


Ever After Proposals, marriage proposal with animals, Philadelphia marriage wedding proposal, Philadelphia Zoo Penguins, marriage proposal planner, marriage proposal ideas

Find us on FacebookTwitter and Pinterest.  And remember to give me a ring before you give her the ring.