Not much compares to the excitement and surprise of a proposal. The preparation, the butterflies and crazy nerves, the ring… and of course the hidden photographer! I love photographing these amazing moments, whether I am posing as a tourist photographing the city skyline (as was the case for this proposal), sneaking behind bushes or even hiding behind an air conditioning unit. It’s one of the rare times when stealth is part of the job, for just a few minutes I get to be a photo ninja!
Aaron had a terrific evening planned for Joana, even when they hopped out of their Uber (and we had been texting the whole time to coordinate the time and location, what they were wearing, etc.) for a very chilly walk along the waterfront she was not tipped off. I had one camera on a tripod and the other hidden under my coat, ready to snap away as soon as the time was right. They hugged and admired our great city of Chicago, snapped a selfie, and then it all happened. There were SO many happy tears, and even some serious cheering from a group nearby that saw the whole thing. It was perfect! We captured a few night photos before they left for a surprise dinner at Nomi (and I am sure a lot of happy phone calls!), what a beautiful way to start their next chapter. Congrats again to these two lovely people!
Some words from Aaron…
How did you meet? Joana and I met at a mutual friends house party. She was brand new to Chicago (it was her first weekend there) and she didn’t know many people or anything about the city, so I jumped at the opportunity of being her tour guide. We started off just as friends (even though I knew she was something special and the friends thing wouldn’t last long) and then eventually realized we were perfect for one another.
When did you know you wanted to marry her? I knew I wanted to marry Joana after we had our first bump in the road. With other girls, I would typically move on, but with her something was different. I realized then that I didn’t want to, and couldn’t, spend the rest of my life with anyone but Joana. Also, the fact that we have an equal love towards sweets helps!
How did you go about planning the proposal? I first wanted to get Joana’s father’s blessing. We had a man to man conversation (I was so nervous), but it went really well and we shared multiple drinks and built a stronger bond after this discussion. Then I wanted to make sure the proposal included elements that highlighted the different aspects of our relationship. 1) I did the proposal with the Chicago skyline because that’s where our love started 2) we went to dinner at Nomi because that’s where we go for fancy occasions and she loves the views there 3) the Peninsula Hotel’s chocolate bar was the perfect end to the night. She has always wanted to go there (for 3 years) and I told her I would take her for a special occasion. I guess getting engaged was the moment I was waiting for!
How did you know you wanted to have a photographer capture the moment? That was a no brainer. I knew I wanted to capture the moment and didn’t trust a random person using my iPhone to capture the most important day of our lives (to date). A mutual friend used Bethany before and her pictures looked amazing online, so that was an easy decision.
Did everything go as planned? Other than the ring, the photos are the thing that everyone keeps asking me about. They are by far the best pictures I’ve been a part of and definitely worth the investment. These pictures will be with Joana and I for the rest of our lives and I’m so excited with the way they’ve turned out. Bethany captured every moment perfectly and I love showing off these pictures every chance I get.
