Patrick and Nikki: A Chorus Girl Surprise Proposal
How the world’s first ever Chorus Girl Surprise Proposal almost didn’t happen.
Navigating New Orleans’ unique challenges takes some serious experience.
The majority of surprise proposal clients want something intimate and semi-private. But not Patrick. He wanted his New Orleans marriage proposal to Nikki to be big, public, and showy. I tried to think up something that hadn’t been done before as we sat on the phone that very first call.
And then a lightbulb went off- a sparkly, red, sequined lightbulb.
I said six words that would set in motion one of the most epic surprise proposals I’ve planned to date:
“How about a Chorus Girl flashmob?”
I am fortunate to have a ton of incredibly creative people in my circle. Two of those people, Amy and Laura, run the Nola Chorus Girls- a dance project that teaches women of all dancing abilities vintage jazz routines. It’s the sweetest, most encouraging group of women and their routines (and costumes!) are totally adorable. I approached Amy with the idea and she knew the girls would love it.
Initially, I had envisioned a mob of 10 Chorus Girls circling around the couple to do a routine and then jazz hand at Patrick while he proposed. But that would’ve ended up costing more money than Patrick could safely sneak out of his and Nikki’s joint account.
So we settled on 3 girls doing a routine with signs that they would reveal at the end that said “Nikki Turn Around”. The plan was for Patrick to be on his knee behind Nikki when they did.
Several months of planning and practicing went into this performance. It was super exciting for all of us! Amy said the three girls squealed when she asked them to be a part of it. And when I visited rehearsal a few days before the proposal I squealed too! I brought along the glittery red hearts I had handmade for them to hold so they could rehearse with them for the first time. I almost died from the cuteness!
We met up early the day of the proposal to run through it a few more times. I rarely get nervous before proposals anymore but this one? I was definitely nervous. I knew the Chorus Girls were going to nail it.
But there were so many variables out of our control- what if a group of tourists walked by and blocked my shot? What if there was a super loud brass band in the square that drowned our speaker out? What if there was a movie filming and they had the entirety of Jackson Square blocked off? I had to trust that we were going to do the very best job we could and try not to worry about all the things we have no control over.
The thing that DID happen was one thing I did not even consider. And I usually consider everything!
I had several people with phones stationed around the perimeter to film the whole thing (I told Patrick I’d get some video footage of it since the stills wouldn’t fully capture the performance). There were also a number of tourists standing around with their phones out.
Laura was waiting for my signal to start the music that would cue the girls. I spotted Patrick and Nikki when they rounded the corner into the pedestrian mall and waited until they were just about to walk in front of the girls. Then I cued Laura.
The music snapped on, the Girls started their routine, but instead of walking in front of the girls Nikki tried to dive behind all of the cameras to stay out of the shot! I watched as Patrick tried to corral her to his mark but she was worried she would get in the way of whatever was going on and really protested. She had no idea it was all for her!
When I tell you I panicked. I PANICKED. I’ve never sweat like this during a proposal before. All I could hear in my head was “oh sh-t! oh sh-t! oh sh-t!” I was so afraid Nikki was going to miss the reveal! I fired off a few shots of the Chorus Girls before leaving my post and heading around behind the couple.
I didn’t know where Patrick was going to land but it definitely wasn’t going to be front and center. The routine was winding down as he finally got Nikki to stop and watch. He was even standing behind her just as we had planned. I dropped to my knee and waited for the signs to turn. As soon as they did, Nikki whirled around and Patrick got down on his knee.
Her reaction was definitely in the top ten of most surprised faces I’ve ever captured. To say she didn’t see it coming is the understatement of the year!
After the ring was on and they were laughing about how hard she tried to not get in the way of the show, I hollered to the girls “Do it again! Do it again!” This time she could stop and enjoy the performance that was just for her. The girls ran through the routine again while Patrick watched with his arms wrapped around his new fiancé.
It may not have gone exactly as we planned but it was pretty close! We pulled it off, the couple was elated, and it is such a good story. If we were to do this again (and we really want to do this again!) we have some ideas on how to make sure the unsuspecting proposee hits their mark leaving little to no panic for this New Orleans Surprise Proposal Photographer.
Check out photos and video of this wild Surprise Proposal below! Ready to start planning your big moment?
