It was a Tuesday afternoon. Bruce had emailed me about photographing his surprise proposal to Craig and we set up a time to chat. I had previously met his fiancé, Craig, for coffee to discuss wedding photography but didn’t meet Bruce because he lives in San Francisco. Craig had proposed to Bruce while out there, and now it was Bruce’s turn to propose to Craig in a surprise trip to Denver. We chatted for almost an hour going over all the logistics, while Bruce was ordering things on Amazon while we were talking. He needed black fabric to section off the area, clips to keep the curtains up and a projector screen to project the special video he had made. Considering I was in Denver and Bruce was in San Francisco, I offered to help plan, scout out the restaurant, bring the clips and be a helper for this downtown Denver proposal.
Bruce knew that he wanted this surprise proposal to take place at Hapa Sushi, the restaurant where they had their first date. The plan was to set up the projector and movie, section off the area with the black fabric, and then have Craig come upstairs through the curtain and sit down to watch the movie that Bruce had prepared. Bruce had also invited a handful of their friends to sneak in during the movie and witness the proposal.
Craig walked into the room guided by a hostess and one of their friends, and instead of a table, he was met with a single chair and a projector screen. Little did he know that his fiancé was hiding behind the screen, ready to pop out and propose.
From the edge of the projector, I documented the smiles, the laughs and the tears. I documented the surprise on Craig’s face when he turned around and saw all of his friends watching behind him. It was evident how much time, effort and love was put into the movie that Bruce created.
While there were many interviews from family and friends in the movie, toward the end, Bruce spoke to the camera and spoke about his love for Craig. Then, in the same outfit as he had on in the video, he came around the side of the projector and proposed to Craig.
To be able to witness moments like these, is one of the best parts of being a wedding photographer. If you or someone you know is planning a Denver proposal and interested in having it documented, send me a message.
