Ryan and Ali’s Philadelphia Art Museum Proposal
Getting engaged during the Coronavirus pandemic isn’t the easiest thing in the world. Trust me, I know. But Ryan pulled his surprise proposal to Ali off in spectacular fashion with the help of family and friends for this Philadelphia Art Museum Proposal.
When Ryan initially contacted me to talk about his plan to propose to his long time girlfriend Ali – I could hear the excitement and nervousness in his voice. I asked if the ring was burning a hole in his pocket and he said YES!
The Plan
Ryan’s goal was to totally catch Ali off-guard. In order to throw her off the proposal “bread crumbs”, he had Ali and a few of her friends who were in the know get together with Ali beforehand. The premise was, that Ali and her friends would be going to a photo shoot later that day.
Meanwhile, the moms, Ryan’s sister, and one of their close friends set up the proposal scene at the Art Museums Gazebos. They placed a few candles, rose petals, and a sign with a few photos of the couple along with “Ali, will you marry me?” at the base of the gazebo.
Philadelphia Museum of Art Proposal
Ryan scooped Ali up and they ubered over to the Art Museum. When they got out, Ryan took Ali straight up to the Gazebo where she spotted the decorations and immediately broken down into happy tears.
I could hear Ali screaming YES as Ryan got down on his knee. I coached Ryan where and how to position himself to give us the best chance of capturing the big moment. He pulled it off perfectly!
The second surprise.
You can’t just propose at the Art Museum and have that be it! Once the couple collected their emotions, we took a few portraits near the Gazebo and I told Ali that I was going to run ahead to grab a shot of them walking down the pathway to the water.
Little did Ali know, her family and friends (some of which drove in from St. Lous and Atlanta) were waiting for her with cellphones in hand and masks responsibly on faces.
What happened next was just minutes and minutes of hugs, laughs, tears and happy.
We shot a few family photographs, and a few more photographs around Cescaphe Waterworks.
The Third Surprise
Waiting on the other side of Waterworks was more of Ryan and Ali’s friends who set up a little picnic for everyone. Ali’s surprised face became a theme through their entire proposal. It’s probably my favorite thing.
This Philadelphia Summer Proposal took place at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Fairmount. The actual proposal happened at the Gazebo behind the Art Museum, overlooking the Schuylkill River. This proposal happened during the Coronavirus Epidemic.