Photographing surprise proposals are one of the sweetest things to capture! I'm always blown away by the creativity and the careful planning, and how each proposal tells a STORY of who the couple is. As a photographer, it's truly an honor to capture these special moments because you get to be part of documenting the couple's unique love story!

Earlier this month, Parley contacted me regarding his upcoming proposal. We had a wonderful conversation getting to know each other, and I learned he was MOVING to his apartment the same week he was planning to propose! His girlfriend (and now fiance) also got sick on the date he was thinking of proposing, and so we moved the date a few days later. Parley was incredible through it all, and when the day came, he gave a sweet, touching, and memorable proposal!

Parley made 1,000 paper cranes to use for the surprise proposal, and the concept of 1,000 paper cranes is based on a Japanese legend. Basically, if a person folds a thousand paper cranes he will be granted a wish. In this case, Parley completed 999 cranes and had ONE crane left to finish folding. When Darian came into the room, he asked her to complete his wish by finishing the last fold of the crane: she was to fold down the nose of the crane to make his wish come true! Can you guess what his wish was? ;)

As you can see in the photos below, she was more than thrilled to fold the last crane and fulfill his "wish!" He then promptly got down on one knee to ask the big question, "will you be my wife?" And of course, she said "YES!"

Afterwards we went outside to take some more gorgeous portraits of Parley and Darian! Congrats you two!

Are you in need of an experienced Raleigh Engagement Photographer?

I'd love to work with you and capture your special moment! You can get in touch with me by sending me an inquiry here, or by emailing me at genevieve@glinphotography.com or calling me at 919-907-1280. I can't wait to hear from you!

How many of y'all have witnessed a 50th wedding anniversary?! I had the honor to document this rare occasion for the amazing couple, Don and Polly. It was beautiful seeing all of their close family and friends attending to celebrate their love and commitment to one another! There were a number of things that stood out to me that evening...

1. The decorations. Since 50 years is known as the "golden anniversary," the theme was gold. All the details were so elegant and carefully designed. What blew me away was that their daughter was the one who did all the decorating and planning! I especially loved the wooden signs that said, "All my love, all my life" and "Home is wherever I'm with you." This was significant because Don and Polly moved a lot during their marriage--I believe it was about 14 times! Don was in the navy, so moving was something they were used to.

2. Polly still has her bouquet from her wedding. I mean seriously, WOW! After all the moving, it has been carefully preserved and looks outstanding. You can see in the photo below!

3) Celebrating 50 years of marriage runs in their family. Don's GREAT grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1904, and Polly's grandparents celebrated their 50th in 1952! In addition, they had their 50th anniversary photos at the party! You can take a look in the gallery below!

4) Don and Polly know their grandkids well. They clearly knew their grandkids well because they got their two grandsons fidget spinners, which in case y'all didn't know is super popular now!

5) Most of all, what stood out for me was Don and Polly's love for each other!

The rest of the evening was full of stories, tons of laughter, and delicious food. Truly a night to remember! Hope y'all enjoy the photos!

-Genevieve

Venue: Bloomsbury Bistro, Raleigh, NC

If you're looking to book a Raleigh family photographer, please email me at genevieve@glinphotography.com or call me at 919-907-1280! I also serve the surrounding areas in the Triangle including Durham, Cary, Chapel Hill, and Apex, and often travel to Seattle, WA.

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One of the things I LOVE as a photographer is that you get to capture life-changing moments for others :) When I received a phone call from Chirag a few weeks ago, I learned he was calling from the west coast and was going to be in town soon to propose to his then-girlfriend, Sneha, in her hometown of Cary, NC. It was going to be a special moment because his family will be flying in from Houston and her family and friends will be present, too!

When I arrived at the venue, the gazebo was beautifully decorated with lights, flower petals, and sweet photos of the two of them throughout the last few years. As we waited for Sneha to arrive, I could literally feel the excitement and anticipation! Once she arrived, Chirag walked Sneha around the gazebo reflecting on their journey together, then got down on one knee to ask the question...and she said YES!! :)

One of the other memorable moments of this night was meeting their family, and they were so warm and welcoming! I honestly felt like I was a part of their family! It was also beautiful to see how much JOY there was, and we were all smiling and laughing by the end of the night. We ended the session with some fun group photos, red velvet cake, and a couple of intimate portraits of Chirag and Sneha!

Here are a few of my favorites from the night. Enjoy!

-Genevieve

If you're looking to book a Durham engagement photographer or Raleigh engagement photographer, contact me here!

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