A Surprise Marriage Proposal At Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens

September 05, 2019

The story of your marriage proposal will be told to family, friends and strangers for the rest of your lives. Some of the words may fade, but you'll never forget how excited and happy you felt on that day.

Kristy and Jacob met at a popular sushi bar in Charlotte, NC. It was a Friday night and the only seats left were at the bar. They sat next each other. Jacob was taken by Kristy's beauty and proceeded to tell her his repertoire of "dad jokes". Kristy thought he was kind of cute, aside from the jokes. After eating, he asked if she wanted to go next door for a drink. She took him up on the invitation. Today Kristy says, "it turned out to be the best decision of my life". She and Jacob's relationship evolved over time and eventually they knew they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. They talked about getting married and Jacob hinted it was coming.

The month leading up to the engagement, Jacob tried, and succeeded in throwing her off in various ways. One example is when he suggested she dress up, because they were going to have dinner at a fine restaurant. He notified the manager of the restaurant beforehand, and arranged for flowers, and a nice bottle of wine to be placed on the table upon their arrival. How very romantic.

Jacob stumbled upon the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC by accident. He heard a commercial and went to check it out. He discovered a botanical garden located on 380 acres of rolling meadows, woodland and home of the Orchid Conservatory.

He decided the garden was the place. It would be the perfect surprise. He would propose to Kristy exactly one year from the day he realized he loved her. She wouldn't expect anything on a casual Sunday morning stroll through the gardens.

Jacob hired us to photograph the marriage proposal. He wanted it to take place on a particular bridge. He wasn't sure how to set it up without Kristy suspecting something. We told Jacob that we would casually walk around the gardens and take photographs as if hired by the venue. When Jacob and Kristy approached the bridge, the photographer stopped them, and asked if they wouldn't mind being in a few photos to make them more interesting. Kristy wasn't keen on the idea because it was just after 9:00 am, coffee in hand, a quick morning makeup job and sunglasses on her head. Jacob wanted to, so they did.

When Kristy and Jacob walked on the bridge, they stopped for a moment and Jacob knelt down on one knee. He asked Kristy to marry him! She was completely surprised. As Jacob says, "she didn't have a clue" and as Kristy says, "it was the best surprise"! Most women agree that the "surprise factor" is an exciting part of a marriage proposal. Bravo Jacob!