What I’ve loved about photographing proposals at The Biltmore Estate are the stories that evolve with each couple. Take, for instance, the two featured below.
Josh did everything right…he got a beautiful bride, contacted me WAY in advance to schedule photos, got help from his soon-to-be sister-in-law, and even brought along his future in-laws to witness the event. What he didn’t count on was…having to turn back 30 minutes into the drive from the in-laws’ home in Charlotte to make sure a stove was turned off, a GPS that took him to the back entrance of the Biltmore which isn’t open to the public, and then getting lost in a nearby neighborhood which put him almost two hours behind schedule. But his sweet girlfriend never caught on…even when he called me from the road pretending I was the Biltmore information desk asking for directions.
I will say this was probably one of the more stressful proposals but in the end, it was well worth it! Her reaction was priceless and so was the smile on his face. AND their late arrival put them in place right at the golden hour of photography (that little window of amazing light right before sunset.)
So here’s how it worked. After I emailed Josh several possibilities for popping the question, he decided on the Boathouse overlooking the Bass Pond. The day of the event, when they finally arrived, her parents (who were told about his plan en route to keep them on schedule), casually walked down the trail with the bride’s sister. I was positioned across the pond with my family to look like just another tourist, with a massive lens! Josh did his thing, she said yes and things finally fell into place for the happy couple.
I still don’t know how he handled it all with the stress of running late. I know I was a nervous mess. But it turned out beautifully and they now have a wonderful story to tell the kids some day!
