Kent and Laura: New Orleans Surprise Proposal Photography
New Orleans Surprise Proposal Photography
Kent pops the question to his sweetheart Laura in New Orleans City Park.
If I were to hand out awards for surprise proposals, Kent and Laura would win “Most Giggly Proposal” and possibly “Most Elaborate Ruse”. Let me explain:
Every single one of the many proposals I have photographed has always involved the couple arriving together. But this one was different. Kent arranged for Laura to be in New Orleans without him and for him to show up and surprise her. This required a lot of help from Laura’s sister, Renee. Renee lives in New Orleans and is going to get married here in a handful of months. As Renee’s maid of honor, Laura had been traveling to New Orleans on a regular basis to help with wedding planning. So Kent had Renee tell Laura that there was a problem with her dress, she needed to go in for a fitting, and she wanted Laura with her when she did.
But of course, once Laura got to New Orleans, it would turn out that the dress shop was unexpectedly closed and they could just have a fun girl’s weekend instead. While Laura was in New Orleans with Renee, Kent would fly in, meet me in the park, and have Renee get Laura to the park for the big surprise.
And it went off almost entirely without a hitch. There was just one little hiccup- Kent’s phone was in airplane mode during the flight and those normally blue text bubbles turned green for a few hours. D’oh! Kent told me early on that Laura is slick and nothing gets by her. He wasn’t joking. With the dress shop no longer an option and Kent suddenly going off the grid- Laura started to suspect something was up. And after living together in a tiny apartment in a foreign country all through covid lockdown, proving they can weather anything together, she was pretty sure she knew what that surprise was.
When I met Kent at the park on the day of the proposal, he said he thought that Laura knew. Renee had told him that Laura was changing clothes a million times. Laura had told Kent ages ago that whenever he proposed she definitely wanted it photographed- so I guess she was making sure she looked her best for a possible proposal! I was in touch with Renee as well and I suggested she offer Laura a glass of wine (if that was her thing) to help calm those nerves just a hair so they could get out the door and to the park. They were running behind and we were running out of light!
Kent was an adorable ball of nerves, pacing back and forth in front of the fountain waiting for Laura to arrive. My assistant and I cracked jokes and talked to him to help lessen the nervousness. I never get to hang out with the proposer beforehand- it was really cute watching the excitement bubbling over while he waited. I soon spotted Laura and her crew walking our way and I got into position. Kent stuck the proposal flawlessly and not only did Laura say “yes” but she giggled. Kent giggled. They both didn’t stop giggling. Not even after Renee popped a bottle of champagne for a celebratory toast. I don’t think they stopped giggling through our whole engagement session together! She may have had a hunch Kent was surprising her in New Orleans to propose. But it clearly didn’t spoil the joy of the moment. They were so precious together and after the year they had together during the worst of Covid, I’ve no doubt these two are in it to win it.
Want to create your own elaborate New Orleans Surprise Proposal ruse? Click here!
Here’s a selection of images from Kent and Laura’s sweet, giggly New Orleans Surprise Proposal.
Want to create your own elaborate New Orleans Surprise Proposal ruse?
