She Said Yes | Surprise Engagement — Family and Newborn Photography Long Beach, NY |Teresa Geraghty Photography

Proposal sessions always have such a special place in my heart. It isn’t only because I am entrusted to capture such a special moment in life, but it is also because I really get to know my clients during the planning process. Because I communicate with my clients often during the planning process, by the time, the actual engagement happens, I truly feel such immense joy for the couple that I am photographing. In fact, it is a challenge for me to keep my emotions at bay during the proposal because I just feel so elated for the couple.

This sentiment is especially true for this recent couple. My client first contacted me long before the actual proposal date. At first, he wasn’t quite sure where he wanted to pop the question, but after reading his questionnaire responses and chatting with him on the phone, I found a secret little place that met his needs. This session took some planning to make sure that everything went off without a hitch, but I really try to think of every eventuality that could throw a wrench in the plan and I come up with multiple back up plans to make sure that things go smoothly for the couple. For this particular session, I was glad we had those plans in place because the weather report on the day of the session looked ominous and I was thankful we had these plans in place so we could proceed as planned

The extra time and effort it takes to plan for unforeseen circumstances ahead of time is worth it, not only for me, but for my clients too. I always tell my clients, that part of my job is to absorb all of that stress that comes along with planning this special moment so that they can really be in the moment and experience it in as relaxed a way as possible. This is part of the reason why I get to know my clients so well because I have to be in contact with them multiple times prior to the session. This open communication is also what puts my clients at ease and it makes it much less awkward to have me present during such an intimate moment.

Although I helped him with the planning, my client really went out of his way to throw his girlfriend off and I can say without a doubt that his beautiful bride to be was fully shocked when he asked her to marry him. She thought she was heading to a surprise retirement party for a colleague. My client sent a fake invitation, had text messages sent to her, made her fill out the retirement card on the way to the session and even bought a gift for the “retiree.” These details were so worth it because I don’t think I have ever seen such shock and it was absolutely adorable to capture.

This couple’s love story is such a sweet one. They were high school sweethearts, who went their separate ways for a brief time in college, but found their way back to one another. If that isn’t true love, I don’t know what is. After finally meeting the bride to be, it was not hard to see why my client loves her so much. She is such a ray of positivity and joy and that shines through in the photos. Their love for each other was abundantly evident throughout the session. There was so much laughter in this session that they needed very little prompting and even better, they were up to some adventure and braved the cold ocean water for a few shots. I just know this newly engaged pair is going to have a beautiful life together.

If you need something to brighten your day, this couple’s photos from their recent surprise proposal session is sure to make your day. Here are a few of my favorites.