Robert and his girlfriend Bekka were in the city this week for a fun holiday trip. Bekka had told Robert that she'd always wanted to skate in Rockefeller Center's Rink, which spawned a grand idea for Robert. The Rock has a special Engagement Package that after your 90 minute group skate they clear the ice for you to skate to center rink and pop the question! Now is all of this wasn't romantic enough, Robert wanted to have the moment captured via photography which is where I came in.

(Gushy romantic post ahead. You've been warned.)

I'm a big romantic so when I got an email from Jack wanting to hire me to photograph his surprise Central Park proposal to his girlfriend, Lauren, I couldn't have been more excited! They are both originally from Oklahoma and Lauren is an accomplished dancer (she was Miss Oklahoma in 2012)  whom over the last week was here in NYC with her parents attending the Rockette Summer Intensive. She had no idea that Jack and both of their families were flying up to NYC at the end of her trip. 

During the planning process I asked Jack if there was a certain place in the park he wanted to pop the question. He said that it really didn't need to be an iconic spot or somewhere super secluded, "One day we'll be moving up here for Lauren to pursue her dreams and I just want us to have a spot in the park that we can call our own." Isn't that just the sweetest?!

Well the day of the proposal came and light showers were on the forecast, but as luck would have the clouds parted and the sun shined down just in time for Lauren's arrival in the park. Her parents were of course in on the whole thing and told her they wanted to "take a stroll through the park" before heading to dinner. She gasped in confusion and excitement  when she saw Jack at the end of her path. He led her down to the grassy spot we had picked out with the the pond, bridge and city view as their backdrop, got down on one knee, and asked Lauren to be his wife. Many people in the park stopped to watch the scene unfold and burst into applause when the ring slid on her finger. And the surprises for Lauren continued as Jack revealed their families cheering for them atop the hill.   Now I may or may not have shed a tear...  it was just such a beautiful thing to witness. As I photographed the newly engaged couple, I couldn't help but think about all the photos that will be taken of them in the future- wedding, honeymoon, holidays, anniversaries! I love telling stories through photos and I'm honored to have played a role in their story. Congrats to Jack and Lauren on finding their spot in the park!