I staged and styled my own proposal.
Thus was the vision of my now fiancé Alex, whose clever and sweet disposition prompted the most epic engagement I could have ever imagined. Two weeks later, and I'm still on Cloud Nine (and still in disbelief). My mother, whose Shindigs by Sheril portfolio can now appropriately expand from weddings and events to perfected proposals, instrumented details from the dress and decor to the luncheon following.
Here's now it unfolded...
My esteemed recipe partnership with Whole Foods entered a new chapter in preparation for Memorial Day. I was asked to style a picnic shoot and work with Donny Granger of Creation Studios for final imagery. Little did I know that a) Alex and my mother were blind copied in the emails with Whole Foods' Marketing Manager, and b) The lens would quickly turn its focus from the hamburgers and apple pie to a stunning ring and family.
I had an extremely busy work week leading up to Friday, April 15, therefore allowing plenty of excuses to turn down manicure dates or errands for the picnic shoot itself. I kept assuring my mother that this shoot was not a big deal--I could be in a t-shirt on my front lawn, if needed, as long as we got the right shot.
The morning beforehand, Creation Studios' Donny Granger gave me a call, offering an additional perspective for the photo shoot -- Why not take advantage of the partnership opportunity and pull off a behind-the-scenes video of how a Caramelized shoot is executed?
"Just wear a cute dress -- like what you'd wear to a picnic -- and we'll shoot it during your lunch break."
Naturally, I called my mother in panic mode -- I didn't have a cute dress nor the time to go browse for one. She, unsurprisingly, offered to stop by Anthropologie and Madewell and bring ten dress options to my house to try. I procrastinated until late Thursday evening, sending mirror selfies from my bedroom to my mom, who was hosting my three best friends from college at my parents' home. Again, clueless. She pushed me to pick the white dress; and since mother knows best, I obliged.
I left work Friday mid-morning to prep the food and primp myself. I slipped on the white dress and touched up my hair, hoping that the rainy forecast would push back. I texted Donny asking if it'd be better to push the shoot to the following week; he replied that his schedule was booked full. Rain or shine, it was happening.
Thanks to Creation Studios, here's the proposal video. It offers just a glimpse of the surreal shock I experienced when Alex got down on one knee. Alex and I are so, so thrilled for our future, and we can't wait for you to follow along with #caramelizedwedding on Instagram!
[embed]https://vimeo.com/164777732[/embed]
