Proposal Session // Admiral's House

Ahhhh this sweet session was a dream to shoot! When Levi asked me to document his proposal to Cordray I was so excited I was able to be a part of such a special moment between the two of them. Levi and I work together and he has been telling me for some time now that he was planning a proposal, he just wasn't sure how to execute it. We've brainstormed a few different locations and Admiral's House was the perfect location for this special moment.

Now, onto the hard part - a few people have asked me if the proposal was staged, because Cordray was dressed up and looking great, as was Levi. Well HERE'S the secret, and for those of you thinking of proposing, take notes! I will take credit for this brilliant lie that Levi told Cordray: Levi told her that there was a fancy banquet dinner that evening being thrown by our (explain why its our, maybe earlier mention Levi is a coworker?) work, everyone gets to bring a plus one, and she should dress up. She didn't even question it since it was so believable!

An hour before the big event, Levi and I met at the venue to work out a plan. If you've ever been to this venue, you'll know there's a gate you have to get past and enter a pin code. I told Levi to give me a call once they are the gate and pretend he forgot the code, and pretend that I was his boss. One of the great things about the location was the fact that I was able to hide inside the house and take photos without being noticed by Cordray. Once he called, I was ready and hiding in the house waiting for their arrival. After they came up the driveway, Levi put on some music and asked Cordray to dance (see pics below). It was so sweet being able to see this little moment before he got down on one knee. Once that happened, I stepped out of the house to snap some more photos of the two of them at which point Cordray was in shock because she wasn't expecting any of it. She later on admitted that she's pretty sneaky and that Levi is usually unable to hide things from her, but that she was so surprised that Levi was able to get away with pulling this off without her even knowing. Afterwards we went down to the beach just down the street by Palisade Restaurant, where another surprise was awaiting Cordray. Levi was able to get their closest friends and family to wait for them with some celebratory champagne. For those of you thinking of proposing and wanting your proposal captured and your future fiancée to be totally surprised, it is definitely doable! A little lie can go a long way with getting your loved one to show up to your proposal spot looking great without suspecting a thing.