I am so excited to share this proposal that I photographed a few weeks ago! I don’t get the opportunity to capture many proposals, so this was absolutely wonderful.
Arshad found me by searching Belle Vernon Engagement Photographers on Google. If that’s not enough to make me jump up and down and say “It’s working! It’s WORKING!” I don’t know what is. Seriously though, it’s that “best day ever” kind of feeling. While I’m not specifically located in Belle Vernon, I do shoot there all the time! Many of my clients are from that area.
When he told me he was planning to propose to his girlfriend, Megan, and would like to have me be there to make that memory last forever, I was thrilled! He told me it would take place at Journey by Grace church in Belle Vernon. It was there that they had met, and fell in love.
Megan’s uncle is also the pastor there, so it was very easy for Arshad to make plans as long as everyone involved could keep a secret. That was the hard part though. Megan had told Arshad that she wanted her family to be there when they got engaged. It was very important to her! However, with much of her family living out of town, Arshad knew she would suspect that he would propose the next time they were all together. Her family was coming in a few days before his grand plan, and they spent a whole day together early in the week. But that day came and went without even a hint of his plan.
Friday came along and the plan was enacted. Megan’s cousin was decorating the church fellowship hall for a ladies’ breakfast on Saturday. Megan’s nephew had just graduated preschool and they had planned a party to celebrate his accomplishment at SeaBase. Megan was to arrive at the church and pick up some more of the little kids that were invited, since her cousin was stuck decorating for the breakfast.
Here’s the surprise: There was no party at SeaBase.
Arshad had set up the entire thing as a surprise. All of Megan’s family arrived at the church about half an hour before Megan was supposed to arrive, and were hiding off to the side. Arshad had created a beautiful proposal display complete with photos of their dogs wearing bandanas that said “Mom, will you marry my dad?” and “Mommy, please say yes!” There were also tons of daisies all around which are Megan’s favorite flower, and many signs about love and marriage.
Megan’s aunt was watching the video cameras for Megan and her parents to come up the church driveway. Arshad got in position and everyone was super quiet! Megan came walking through the door and went straight to her cousin to get the kids, when Arshad called her name. She turned around and gasped. There he was, all dressed up, standing next to a beautiful display of love. She stopped to look at the photos of the dogs, and then all of her family gathered around as Arshad began to tell her all the things he loved about her. He said how in this very place where they had met just a year ago, their love has grown so deep.
He said how just as it all started with God, he wanted every step of their relationship to have Him as their center. There was not a dry eye in the room. Arshad got down on one knee and asked her to marry him, and Megan said, “Yes! But I have no idea what you just said.” Everyone laughed. She was so surprised, all she could think was that it was finally happening!
Everyone cheered and they walked around and hugged all of their family members, and Megan showed off her magnificent engagement ring.
After a little while, it started to rain, so we decided to take some photos of the two of them inside the church instead of outside since they were going to a big family dinner afterwards and didn’t want to be soaking wet.
Journey by Grace is a beautiful church that used to be a car dealership. It has huge windows and incredibly high ceilings. Their sanctuary is actually the garage where repairs used to take place. The whole building is huge! After we took some engagement photos, they all headed off to their dinner reservations at a restaurant in Elizabeth, PA.
Megan and Arshad, it was so wonderful to capture your engagement proposal! I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness together!
