We are so excited to share one of the most perfect surprise proposals we’ve ever captured. Through lots of planning between the Eric and us, one of the most beautiful spots we know was booked and the weather was also perfect for this special moment. Eric got a permit for Van Vleck House & Gardens in Montclair New Jersey, a private estate with a public botanical garden. The best part about getting a permit for a location is the exclusive use of the property where the staff will clear any visitors from being around your shots, and they continue to escort you to make sure your photos are perfect. Sometimes we love crowds in photos in a public space, and sometimes we love the privacy and intimacy.
We arrive there early to meet with the staff, make sure everything is in order, find out favorite spot, and wait patiently for the nervous guy to lure his soon to be fiancé into the perfect position to kneel down and propose. What really made this extra special was the genuine surprised expression and heartfelt tears from Taylor when she realized what Eric’s plan was all along after see us pop out with our cameras. Eric and Taylor was completely consumed by the moment and forgot we even existed while we captured every moment from his kneeling down to putting the ring on.
After giving the newly engaged couple a few moments to soak in the momentous occasion, we started our portrait sessions with them around the rest of the garden. It was so easy and effortless with Eric and Taylor because they were already on cloud nine, happy and affectionate, excited about life. We just gave them some guidelines on what to do, and they just had to enjoy the moment with each other while we clicked away. I was able to capture some quick behind the scene videos of them while we both continued to photograph them.
We scheduled the session right before sunset, so we got amazing light that day moving between shade and backlit sunset – which looked absolutely amazing. Our specialty is to make the photo session engaging and fun, while also slow paced enough that they get to remember the experience as a fun event they did together, and the beautiful photos reinforce that memory forever. We apply the same logic to the wedding day photos, as we also want their memories of what happened to match with the beauty of the final product.
Our second and last spot was at The Highlawn, where Eric made a reservation for their friends and family to celebrate the engagement. We got some beautiful sunset shots outside the property with an overlook over Manhattan skyline. With a little practice dancing and dipping for the wedding day, we finished the session with so much excitement about seeing them again!
Please enjoy the quick BTS video of Eric and Taylor’s engagement session
