A Grand Hotel Engagement

Lily knew there was no way Chad was going to propose to her at Christmas. It seemed too obvious and Chad was not one to be predictable. As it turned out, that was the perfect way to surprise Lily with a romantic proposal! When she least expected it, Chad set his plan in motion.

It was Christmas morning and Chad told Lily that he needed to wrap a few gifts. Thinking he was running last minute as usual, Lily didn’t even rush out of the room when Chad told her the coast was clear. The whole time she was taking her sweet time, he was waiting to propose!!!

When Lily opened the door, she found a path of fake snow, lined with Christmas lights, which led straight to Chad. The moment she saw the path of snow and Chad standing by the Christmas tree, she knew what he was going to ask her, but she was in disbelief the entire time. I LOVE a good surprise proposal story, don’t you?!

Summer on Mobile Bay

I was so excited to meet up with Lily and Chad for their engagement session at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama. Lily was the Maid of Honor in Jill and Cooper’s wedding last fall. It’s always such a treat to work with the same circle of friends on multiple weddings. I told Lily that she reminded me a lot of Jill and she said that is something they hear a lot. Each are the sister the other never had!

Summer evenings on Mobile Bay can be unpredictable as far as the weather goes. It was storming when I left Mobile, but by the time I got to the other side of the bay, the sky was clear. The clouds seemed to hover over the bay, which gave us a nice breeze for the majority of this session – a real treat for a summer evening down here where it’s often blazing hot and humid.

Chad said he came to the Grand Hotel with his family many times during his childhood years, but when Lily said she wanted photos with the rocks, he wasn’t quite sure what she meant. This spot is a prime portrait spot at the hotel and often quite crowded, but on this day it was quiet and we practically had the area to ourselves for 10 solid minutes. It was amazing!

Chad and Lily brought along a bottle of champagne and ended the shoot with a sunset toast! Mobile Bay truly gets some spectacular sunsets. Just when I was thinking the clouds had swallowed the sun for the day, it reappeared, bathing the scene in the most amazing Golden Hour glow. It was a DREAM!