Photography By Charise, Ventura County Wedding l Camarillo Wedding Photographer I

A proposal, a proposal, a proposal!!!!   Can you tell I’m excited about this one?!?!?

This afternoon I was given the chance to document a very special and touching proposal! I’m not sure I can tell you how excited I was to be able to document this special time for Micheal and Saarah.  I mean honestly, how many people have their proposal documented?  Not enough!!  I know I wish I had mine documented!

Let me set the scene…Michael had planned a trip to the Getty Villa with his beautiful girlfriend (now fiance), the plan was for someone to approach them and explain that she was a ‘photography student’ working on a project for school and she just needed to get a photo that represented love, and ask them if they would be willing to allow her to snap a quick Polaroid of them.  Michael would of course agree to having their photo taken.  The ‘student’ would then offer to take a second Polaroid so they would have one to keep.  Just after ‘the student’ snapped the second Polaroid, Michael would distract Saarah for just a few seconds with a little kiss, while the ‘student’ would swap out the Polaroid she just snapped with one that Michael had taken of himself earlier in the day holding a sign asking Saarah to marry him.  The ‘student’ would hand the Polaroid of Micheal holding the sign to him, he would shake it…you know to wait for it to develop, and when he was ready he would hand it to her so she could check out the photo. While she looked at it he would get down on his knee and ask for her hand in marriage.  CUTE, HUH!?!?!?

So, my photographer friends Jen and Melissa and I head out to THE spot where the proposal was to take place.  Jen and I were stationed in two different spots to document the actual proposal and Melissa was all set to play the part of the ‘student’. All of totally had butterflies in our stomachs…like we were the ones proposing, LOL.

When Michael and I talked during the week we were really hoping that the area would be pretty quite because it’s a weekday and the museum was literally just about to close.  No such luck…there were people all over.  So as Michael and Saarah approached the area he took her on a little walk to kill some time…they walked around a bit,  asked someone to grab a quick photo of them on their camera, but the people…still in the area he had planned to propose.  So, I sent Melissa ‘the student’ in to do her part of snapping the Polaroids before it got too late if fear of  the museum staff starting to ask people (us) to leave because they were closing.  Thankfully, while the Polaroid taking was happening, the area Michael had hoped to take Saarah to for the actual proposal cleared out.  So just after Melissa (the student) handed off ‘THE’ Polaroid, he brought Saarah over to sit down and look at the photo that ‘the student’ so nicely took and gave to them.  He handed her the photo…and well…the rest is history.  But luckily…history that was documented and something I hope that they will treasure for years to come.

So, here is a shot of Melissa (the student), snapping the Polaroid of Michael and Saarah.  Notice the masses of people around?!  Oh and let me just give props to Melissa who was on her game today…just after she handed the Polaroid to Michael, Saarah started asking all kinds of questions about the class Melissa was taking and where she was going to school, etc.  Thankfully, Melissa was quick and answered them all like a champ!

Michael casually handing the Polaroid to her to look at while digging for the ring in his pocket.

I think it was right about now when Saarah realized what was really going on.  In fact I remember hearing her ask Micheal, ‘when did you take this?!?!’

Cue all the surrounding people, clapping, cheering and offering their congratulations from afar.

Pretty sure it was right around this time that Saarah realized there were now 3 cameras pointed at the two of them photographing the entire process.

And a quick (and I mean quick) 2 minute shoot just outside the parking garage to capture a few more photos of the newly engaged couple!

Michael and Saarah, I am so beyond thrilled for the two of you!  Thank you so much for allowing us to be apart of this awesome time in your lives. I hope you had an amazing dinner surrounded by your loved ones.   I can’t wait to hear about the wedding plans and get you two in front of my camera again!