James is one of my husband’s dearest friends, and when he asked me to be a part of his engagement to Kayla, I was honored and delighted to help! For months we’d all been hoping he’d pop the question soon. Kayla is sweet, generous and wonderful, and they are such a great fit for each other.
He emailed me very nonchalantly asking if I would secretly photograph the event. He had it all planned out: a sunset walk on the beach, a pause to check out something in the tide pool, he’d drop to one knee . . . We checked the sunset and the tides. He called his parents and future in-laws to come that weekend to help them celebrate. We did a dry run the evening before so he knew where to stop, how to turn, and where I’d be hiding. He told me what he’d be wearing so I could spot them from afar. We. Were. Ready. There was no Plan B.
Thirty minutes before our designated time, the skies opened up. Torrential rain. Lightning and thunder like I’d never heard before. Charley and I looked at each other nervously as we sat on the porch and waited for the monsoon to ebb . . . was this a sign, God?! And just like that, the rain stopped and the sun reappeared.
I raced down to our designated meeting place, binoculars in hand, and hid behind the dunes to await the big moment. Feeling somewhat like a spy I noticed that the beach had been washed clean. There were no footprints. No bystanders. The ocean was calm. Yes, it had been a sign.
I spotted them coming and waited for them to stop. Later, James told me that I had been hiding SO well, he didn’t see me and frantically wondered if I was actually even there. He did his job perfectly and the magical moment was over far too soon. But there they were, happily engaged. I gave them both big hugs and congratulations, and then I turned to James and said . . . “FINALLY!”
So very happy for James and Kayla – CONGRATULATIONS!
.jpg "Surprise engagement on the beach")