surprise proposal | haley + andrew | indiana, pa photographer

Oh man we pulled it off so well…..I’m so proud of us and so incredibly happy for Andrew and Haley! She had no clue!

Below is the nutshell version……If you’ve followed me from way back in 2011, you might remember these two. Haley was the winner of the prom contest that year. She won a free spa treatment with  hair/makeup, flowers and a photoshoot before heading off to prom! We spent an hour during their photoshoot and since Haley was still in high school, I was very careful how I posed them together because let’s face it…it’s weird for me to pose high schoolers like engaged couples even though they were dating at the time.

Fast forward to 2015…I randomly run into Andrew at a meeting at the school where he teaches. I ask how he and Haley are doing and he smiles so big and tells me he had just got done looking at rings and was getting ready to make the big purchase and was planning on how he was going to pop the question! Duhhh, I get excited and blurt out….I have an idea!! So together Andrew and I came up with a plan.

I reached out to Haley (the whole time scheming with Andrew) to ask her if I could do a “follow-up” shoot with her and Andrew. Prom season is right around the corner and it’s almost exactly 4 years so I wanted to photograph the two of them in kind of a “where are they now” kind of angle. I asked her if she could talk Andrew into participating. She immediately wrote back and was all “yes yes yes!!! I’m so excited!!” So now she would know *I* was supposed to be there, she’d have a chance to fix her hair and makeup…..and she would have no idea!! Because let’s face it, no female wants to have proposal photos without having their hair or makeup picture ready!! haha!

So secretly,  Andrew and I were talking via text and email to come up with the day and time and then I would email Haley to see if that would work with Andrew’s schedule *wink wink*. We had everything planned, the date was set and Andrew had already told me exactly where he wanted to get on his knee……the only thing that was iffy was the weather. It was supposed to rain all week-after all, it *IS* April!

<insert dramtic music> But…. it was like the sky had opened up and the angels sang……and out came the sun! They arrive and off we go to take photos. I told her now that they were both older and not in high school anymore, I could actually pose them like they were a couple. We walked around to a few spots and snapped some photos, the whole time just joking around about how these were the same spots we took their prom photos roughly 4 years prior. Then it’s time to go the bridge where Andrew wants to propose.

I ask her if I can do a few shots of her by herself with Andrew kind of in the background. I tell her where to stand and I snap a few photos…..and then tell her I want to try to get a sillhouet shot. I ask her to stand very still so that I can “get the camera settings just right” while I snap a few photos of Haley turned around and Andrew on his knee….then I casually say, “ok, Haley, I need to you to turn toward Andrew”………….and BOOM! Tears ensued!

She literally had no clue what he had planned. She thought she was there for a follow-up session…but it turned into an engagement session-litterally!

Oh…and as for that update on WHERE ARE THEY NOW…… she said YES and they’ll be planning a wedding!!! haha!

It’s about to happen….and she has no idea!!!

Congratulations you two…..let the wedding planning begin!!!