Have you ever witnessed a proposal? I can’t even begin to wonder the emotions rushing through the couple when the moment finally comes for someone to pop the question. In this case, I’m sure Richie was filled with equal parts dread and butterflies, and you can probably feel for him; the feeling of that ring burning a hole in his pocket, the anticipation of her response, the sheer and unbridled excitement of knowing this is who he wants to spend the rest of his life with, and he has to WAIT to ask… Oh, and the possibility of torrential rain and thunderstorms rolling into the area during his planned shoot. Richie, I commend you; many would’ve driven straight from the jeweler and have asked then and there. What you did requires a level of patience and strength most don’t have, so thanks for keeping it classic.

We planned the attack on short notice, bringing Alex in under the ruse that I was portfolio building for Tyler Boye Photography. She knows them well and it seemed to be kosher, all we needed was a willing couple to shoot around with. While it was a reasonable request, it was far from the truth and it required me to recall my acting chops from college and for Richie to continue to play it super cool on a muggy July evening. We shot in the gorgeous Morris Arboretum here in Philadelphia, and the scenery was set for a fantastic photographic outing.

We moved around the ‘Out on a Limb‘ platform getting comfortable and acting as if it was just a photoshoot, when Richie popped the question. Being so close, it was incredible to see the reaction from Alex when Richie got on his knee, looked her in the eyes, and said a a few beautiful words followed by the opening of that box. The emotions are hard to put into words, and I think she was so overwhelmed in that moment, Richie could have blabbered almost anything and she would have said yes.

We set about exploring as much of the grounds as we could before the rain moved in, and I don’t think they would have ended it any other way. Congrats, you love birds!