The Perfectly Curated Proposal
Meet Josh and Cori. The pair met in 2022 after being set-up by some friends for a first date in Los Angeles. They instantly connected and 2.5 years later, Josh was ready to pop the question. While many guys need some help planning the perfect proposal, Josh was truly on top of all of the details from the start. After a couple of pivots, he ultimately decided to propose right around the holidays in downtown Manhattan and pull out all the stops.
Josh created an elaborate ruse to confused Cori into believing she was actually going to an industry holiday party at the Smyth Hotel. He even went so far as to asking a friend to design an event invite on Canva to make sure that she thought the event was real. Further, he had conspired with myself (the photographer) and the hotel management to make sure that the room was set up beautifully, I could be in the hotel room as they walked in, and the front desk went along with the party decoy. After securing the ring, booking tickets, and getting Cori on a plane from LAX to JFK, Josh was ready for the big moment.
When the elevator opened up onto a regular hotel floor, Cori was confused. However, as soon as they opened the door to the suite that had been specially set up for them, she immediately burst into tears of disbelief. The whole suite was strewn with rose petals, candles, balloons, champagne, and more. The candles lit a pathway to the outdoor patio where they could enjoy the NYC skyline together later. Josh got down on one knee and proposed to Cori with a well-rehearsed speech and she was in so much shock. She was blown away by his sweet gesture and the sparkly, custom ring that he had made just for her.
Taking Advantage of the Hotel Suite
After the initial shock and excitement had set in, Cori and Josh looked around their hotel room to find it perfectly set up by the Smyth Tribeca's guest services. There were multiple tables set with bottles of champagne and glasses, a rose petal heart lined with Ferrero Roche chocolates, a sign wishing them congratulations, comfy robes and accessories for lounging, and even a delicious piece of cheesecake! They popped their champagne and enjoyed a glass, while taking in the views of the city on the patio outside.
They ventured into the bedroom part of their suite to find more balloons and a giant rose petal heart on their bed. This was truly the type of romance that every little girl dreams about. To celebrate, I suggested they lean into that childish fun and jump on the bed! It was silly, but such a fun moment!
But the surprises weren't over yet...
A Family Surprise
Josh let Cori know that he had planned a special engagement dinner for her, but he still hadn't shown all of his cards yet. While they were in the cab going to the restaurant, Cori insisted on calling her family to tell them the big news of their engagement. Josh and I convinced her that it would be better to Facetime them when they got to the restaurant because it was too dark in the cab. Really, we were hiding the fact that she would be able to share the news with them in just a few minutes in person.
When we arrived at Blackbarn NYC, a sophisticated contemporary American restaurant in NoMad, Cori was still in the dark about what was about to happen next. The host led the couple to a private room downstairs where she was shocked and thrilled to find that both of their families were waiting for them. His family had come in from NJ while hers had flown in for this very moment. They had custom menus made up for the event and their family surprised Cori with a custom jean jacket with her future name emblazoned on the collar. So many hugs, tears of joy, and gasps of excitement were shared!
Overall, Cori and Josh's proposal went off without a hitch and it was beyond romantic. Afterwards, Cori was so grateful that Josh had planned the perfect proposal day in NYC for them, and that he had hired a proposal photographer to capture it all, too!
Thinking about proposing soon? Let's chat!
Whether you're an NYC native or a tourist on holiday, I would love to photograph your proposal! Please reach out and I will be in touch with my availability and packages.
You can also check out my Ultimate Proposal Guide here!
