Last week, Stephen and Sidney drove up from Vermont for a little fall getaway in Montreal. They parked near Beaver Lake and headed straight for the Kondiaronk Belvedere, the lookout point next to the Mont Royal Chalet. By the time they arrived, the clouds had parted and the sun was shining. From way up there, the view of beautiful downtown Montreal (and all of its construction cranes) was framed by mountain’s trees, still displaying their red and orange and gold. Sidney was just enjoying the view when this happened:
Two weeks prior to the proposal, Stephen contacted me with his plan. My girlfriend and I are driving up to Montreal for a day, I’m going to propose to her, and I'd like you to photograph the moment. We started planning out the details right away. For proposal photos, a public location means it’s easier to hide a photographer in plain sight (yeah and especially if he’s asian, in a tourist spot, and has a camera). We even planned out the walking route. Can you imagine if they had gone up the that steep staircase on the South side of the mountain? Stephen would have run out of breath and passed out between Will you and marry me.
So when the big day finally arrived, Stephen stealthily sent me a picture of himself and Sidney to show me how they were dressed that day. And then he would text me three times: once when leaving the house, once at the border, and once upon parking the car. Of course, not wanting to miss the moment due to an out-of-battery phone or a cross-border reception weirdness, I showed up way early, and checked the clothing of every couple I saw. No no, not creepy at all. Thankfully his phone was working fine. With each text I received, my heart rate went up significantly. The final one came. Here, it read. Game time, let’s do this!
I spotted them from far away with lynx eyes, and stalked them like a cat. Holy crap, it was exciting and awkward and hilarious and wonderful all at the same time. I should have hired a photographer to photograph me sneaking behind them and taking the proposal photos.
Sidney said yes (of course!) and eventually Stephen revealed that the entire thing was documented, to her delight. We followed it up with a mini engagement shoot! Thank you both for the most memorable assignment ever! And thank you Stephen for putting your trust in me!
