Luke + Dannie

Kansas City Proposal

Luke Popped the Question!!

About a month and a half ago, Luke officially decided it was time to spend the rest of his life with Dannie, his long-time girlfriend. They’ve known they would get married after they finished school, but Luke made it explicitly clear to Dannie that he would have too much going on until after he graduated to add a proposal to the mix. That’s entirely reasonable and Dannie agreed- after they were both out of school and working full time jobs, then she could expect a proposal. Luke had a surprise up his sleeve and caught Dannie completely off guard. Little did Dannie know, Luke had been ring shopping with his sister and Dannie’s and getting everything set in motion. He contacted me to make sure I had a free Friday night, we discussed locations, and plotted angles to ensure the best possible lighting. Luke wanted everything to be perfect for Dannie.

His plan went off without a hitch! On one of his last visits home from school before graduation, Luke took Dannie to a casual dinner– we’re talking a tee shirt and jeans kind of casual. Anything more specific and he worried Dannie may become suspicious. He had decided to propose at the dam of their lake community just at sunset, so he picked a restaurant that logistically made sense for the need to cross the dam on the way home. We plotted it all out ahead of time, and he executed everything perfectly and according to plan. His particular genius was in his convincing Dannie to get out of the car and walk to the middle of the dam- after dinner he told her that his friend was planning to propose at the dam that night, and in order to give his friend and supposed soon-to-be fiance a reason to stop, he asked Luke and Dannie to go on a walk across the dam. As any girl would be, Dannie was excited to help in executing a proposal and was eager to get out of the car to get in place for the proposal of their friends.

As I laid still in the grass, crouched on the bank of the lake, eye level with the road and waiting for Luke’s Malibu to pull up to our spot, my heart almost beat out of my chest. I was so utterly excited to be capturing such a special moment for these two. What was about to play out in the next 3 minute is something girls dream of- we know it will happen, and we know we will be brimming with joy, but the excitement of not knowing when or how is something that fills our slumber party, and later our happy hour chatter. It’s magic- the kind that only I would be able to watch in the flesh from start to finish. – How amazing!

Suddenly, I see a car in the distance and it’s Luke in the Malibu. The car stops and then the engine. One thunk, two thunks. They’re out and walking towards ‘the spot’. I crept out from behind the bushes, snapping as I went, and so it began…

Luke and Dannie’s sisters had given me a few wardrobe change options in case she wanted to change for a few pictures after the big moment! Luke and I played it off that these post-post proposal photos were the icing on top of the main event. Little did Dannie know that she was in for another surprise later.

The Celebration

After taking a few shots at sunset on the dam and saying my congratulations and ‘goodbyes’ , I raced back to Luke’s parent’s where their close friends and immediate family members were waiting to congratulate the couple!

Luke and Dannie, I’m so happy to have shared in such special memories with you two and I can’t wait to see what celebration you have in store for your wedding in 2017!! Congratulations!!

---

Ring: Meierotto’s Jeweler

---

If you liked this post, you may also like:

Hillary + Blake | Romantic Engagement

What to Wear to Your Engagement Session