A Fairhope Pier Proposal

It was a hard secret to keep. Lauren’s boyfriend, Aaron, was planning to propose and he reached out to ask if I would document the big moment. Lauren has been my wedding day assistant for close to three years. We spend a lot of time together during wedding season. I was about to burst with excitement. I didn’t even tell my second photographer, Regina, who is also newly engaged, that this plan was in the works.

The set up was a day of summer mini sessions. Lauren has helped me with family minis in the past. Usually, when I do sessions like this, I’ll take portraits of whoever is helping me at the session prior to the families showing up. Last fall I photographed Lauren and Aaron together, so when Aaron suggested this as a plan for the proposal, I thought it was perfect. I wouldn’t have to worry about hiding in the bushes and Lauren would know to dress for photos.

We set the plan in motion a couple months in advance. I casually mentioned doing some summer mini sessions on the drive back from a wedding. Regina would be out of town the weekend Aaron suggested for photos, so it would work perfectly that Lauren was the only one I was asking to assist. Aaron and I planned to do photos in a location in Fairhope that I knew was usually not crowded in the summer. When I arrived at the location, the light was not great since the sky was so overcast. I decided to drive down to the Fairhope Pier.

To my surprise, the pier area was not crowded at all. The breeze off the bay and the overcast skies actually made the summer heat not seem so bad. On the spot, I changed the plan! It all worked out perfectly. Lauren said YES as soon as she turned around and saw Aaron down on one knee. It was magical!