Lady.
New Orleans Surprise Proposal Planner and Photographer
Why Proposals?
Proposals chose me, really.
I spent years trying to find my place in the oversaturated New Orleans wedding photography world. While I loved my work, I never quite felt like I fit. I’m not poised or polished—I’m punny, irreverent, and I refuse to follow fleeting editing trends (can “light and airy” just die already??).
Then, in 2013, Frank hired me to capture his surprise proposal to Paola. Hiding in the bushes across a bayou, I watched him unveil a photo album of his secret trip to Spain, where he’d asked her father for her hand, before dropping to one knee. I loved every second of it—the surprise, the raw emotion, the effort, the ephemeral nature of the moment.
I kept photographing proposals, and it quickly became clear these guys (and gals!) needed help. At first, I offered small planning tips- best locations, ideal times of day- that any local photographer could offer. Then it evolved into detailed guides and insider tricks. And by 2020, as quarantine lifted and people rushed to propose, I found myself fully immersed in proposal planning. From logistics to creating unforgettable moments, I guided couples through it all.
It turned out I never fit into weddings because I belonged somewhere I could do more, think bigger, and burn brighter. So I built a Proposal Planning system, stocked a storage unit full of proposal décor, and assembled a team of total badasses who love this work as much as I do.
The more proposals I planned, the more creative they became. Clients started requesting ultra-personalized, out-of-the-box ideas—like the mermaid proposal in mid-2023, which sparked a wave of fully customized experiences. I started incorporating handmade elements, crafting unique surprises, and developing signature techniques (hello, viral flower chucking).
Now, my team and I have orchestrated tarot card readings, faux snow scenes, ghost tours, plant sales, carousel rides, art gallery reveals, ballet-flash-mob proposals, and so much more. Each one brings new moving parts, unexpected challenges, and exciting puzzles to solve. And I thrive in that chaos
I can’t wait to see what wild proposal ideas the future holds. Will it be yours?
I’m Lady.
And I’m a total weirdo.
Just about everyone who comes to me for portrait and wedding photography has one thing in common: they are absolute weirdos. They usually have some sort of vision of the type of images they’re looking for and they are never looking for something traditional. When the right weirdos find me, we click instantly.
A native of New Orleans, I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. For better or for worse, I’ve never been capable of being anything other than authentically myself. Life often isn’t easy for people who don’t fall in line (it’s definitely not easy to make it as a wedding photographer when you refuse to buy into trends!). But it means I’ve lived a life that was my own and my life’s work is something I can be proud of.
Through that lens (see what I did there?), I’ve worn many hats: costumer, actor, English tutor, barbershop quartet singer, crafter, cellist, rock cellist, retired cellist, theater nerd, fire eater, interstellar bus driver, swing dancer, possum smuggler, cat lady, parading unicorn, bartender, fancy bartender, retired bartender, bone collector, bone retailer, burner, big gay easter bunny, sobriety superstar, crime fighter, wildlife rehabber, lap swimmer, corn, Noisician, filmmaker, Hello Kitty collector, queerdo, dancing opossum, covid-era local celebrity, and Proposal Expert Who Has Never Been Proposed To (What can I say? I’m married to my job. Holla at me, Lifetime Movie Network!).
Even though my proverbial closet is overflowing with proverbial hats, my Photographer hat has remained firmly on my peanut-sized noggin for the last 20 years.
While I cut my teeth at the foot of stages in the Aughts and have worked professionally since I was but a wee baybay, I am proud to say I have made a living full-time as a New Orleans photographer since September of 2013 (that’s nearly 11 years at the time of this writing, for anybody mathing along at home).
I am unapologetically me and I bring my unique personality to my New Orleans photography sessions. I get weird. I often sing. I climb things and lay on the ground (although this pushing-40 body would reeeally love it if I didn’t). I hang off of balconies and bridges and staircases to get that perfect shot. I try to be as fearless in my work as I am in my life. I want us both to have a good ass time working together and I want you to have images that, to be frank, don’t suck!
As a queer, ND woman (she/her), my photography services are inclusive of everyone.
(Except for that one guy. You know who you are.)
