during my teenage years, i spent the majority of my summers taking care of the 3 spaulding brothers. i basically lived at their house and absolutely loved every minute of it. these boys were just like brothers to me and we spent the summers fishing, crabbing, riding bikes, playing kick ball, swimming and laughing. these boys were like the three stooges: goofy and mischievous. i always tagged along on their family vacations and my first trip to the ocean was with them. i never felt like just a babysitter, rather a part of their family. i am forever grateful for all the love they showed me. in this family i found the most amazing mother who took me under her wing and always told me i was the daughter she never had. i was beyond blessed to have this incredible family in my life.
fast forward to present day and the oldest brother; tyler contacted me on facebook. he mentioned he was ready to propose to his girlfriend and asked if i could capture the proposal. without a doubt, I SAID YES. i mean, of course i would love to be the creep(er) ehhh i mean photographer that is hiding in the bushes waiting for the magic moment. to say i was excited was an understatement. in all of my years of photography, this would be a first. we talked for a bit about dates and location and i pretty much said just give me a date and time and i'm there.
what i didn't realize is just how much thought he had put into this proposal. of course, anxious me began asking questions, just to gauge where he was at in the planning process. my jaw dropped and eyes welled with tears when he explained what he had planned. i could not wrap my head around the idea that i wasn't reading a fairytale, but rather text messages from none other than tyler himself.
1. he scheduled an appointment for his future mrs. at the nail salon to get her out of the house.
2. he set up a scavenger hunt in their annapolis home; where the final clue led the future bride to the pier where he was with the ring and their boat. the hunt, to include handwritten clues was beyond my wildest dreams. the clues included items in their home that brought back special memories. for example, "...The last time you wore this outfit, i could not take my eyes off of you." "These keys have played a major role in our relationship. You are the Co-Captain on the boat and in my life." i thought to myself, is this even real life?!? tyler put so much thought and love into this, i was speechless. each clue was better than the last.
3. he made sure to wear the outfit that she just loves so much, shoes included.
4. he downloaded her favorite songs to play on the boat and had the cooler on the boat stocked with champagne and her favorite beer.
5. he made dinner reservations by boat to celebrate after he popped the big question.
once i was able to pick my jaw up off the floor; i realized he was serious, and seriously in love with this girl.
this girl; steph is one of those incredible souls. she has this sort of spirit about her that is classy and fun. she has a simple elegance that just makes her so unique. she is just as in love with tyler as he is her.
this day was beyond perfect. i will forever remember this as one of the most beautiful experiences i have ever had. i know love is a feeling, but how refreshing it is that i can see it too.
i will let these pictures speak for themselves; i was speechless.
