New York City Surprise Marriage Proposal

Alysha & Justin

     The 2023 wedding season for me ended with my second Indian wedding in Puerto Rico. It was quite arguably the most rewarding event I have ever photographed. It spanned two days, had tons of moving parts and was perhaps the most gratifying wedding of which I’ve ever been part as a photographer in Puerto Rico. The groom, Sumanth, was one the kindest clients I’ve ever had; he and Nicole, his now wife, treated my team and I with the utmost care and were such a pleasure with whom to work. During the reception, he pulls me to the side and, using his peripheral vision somehow points to one of his groomsmen, Justin, and whispers that he is looking to propose to his then girlfriend, Alysha, in New York City. The reason he approached me is because my then girlfriend was living in Manhattan and Sumanth knew I would be in New York quite often; he saw it as an opportunity to collaborate even further with his friend.

     As per Sumanth’s request, I reached out privately (so as to not blow his cover) to Justin while in the city and suggested we meet for coffee to discuss the possibility of documenting his surprise proposal. We agreed to meet at a local coffee shop and, when introducing himself for the first time, he casually confessed that he told Alysha he’d be meeting with a potential client so that she wouldn’t suspect anything about odd behaving; sometimes a white lie is fair in love and war. After exchanging plesantries, Justin tells me that he’s very interested in proposing at Jose Andrés’s rooftop bar/restaurant called Nubeluz in midtown Manhattan. I immediately thought it was a great idea and was enamored at the idea of having a view that amazing as a backdrop to such an amazing moment for him. 

She said YES!

     After a few days of marinating the idea, it’s ultimately what Justin wanted so we went with it as Plan A. He, of course, was the one responsible for making the arrangements and, once he did, he kindly asked if I could come meet him the day before to scope out the venue. I typically enjoy visiting a venue that I haven’t shot at before because I thoroughly enjoy scouting for the best lighting and scenes possible so I hopped on my electric scooter and met him as requested. Upon arrival, I was floored: the views were breathtaking and, as you made your way out onto the balcony, you had the Chrysler building right in your face. I think it was the perfect choice for Justin and the hotel employees at the Nomad Ritz-Carlton seemed to agree.

     The most important reason to visit Nubeluz was to determine where exactly I was going to position myself in order to take pictures of Alysha as she waltzed in while, at the same time, figuring out how I was going to take that ever-so-important shot of Justin on one knee. After a meticulous search of ever nook and cranny, I figured out where that needed to be and we were on our way. I can only imagine it was going to be a memorable experience for Alysha and Justin but this wouldn’t go unnoticed by me seeing as how it would be my first event outside of Puerto Rico which is where most of my clientele hires me as a professional photographer. I was up for the challenge and, although it wasn’t going to be my first surprise marriage proposal, it was definitely going to feel different.

Glistening…

My goal for this session was to make it seem as authentic and genuine as possible; I was meeting Alysha for the first time (I didn’t quite interact with her during Sumanth’s wedding at the Royal Sonesta in San Juan) so I definitely had to ‘feel’ her out but I was told she loves pictures so that’s something that as a wedding photographer in Puerto Rico I love to hear. I remember telling them that I wanted to be the proverbial ‘fly on the wall’ meaning that I wanted to interpose as little as possible so that I could have them interact with each as organically as possible. This is one of my secrets to getting great candid photography: give them directions, perhaps a few prompts from time to time but, for the most part: let them be.

Table for two.

Nubeluz is riddled with lovely scenes to take advantage of from lavish seating booths to wonderful couches overlooking that Manhattan skyline. The floor to ceiling windows allow for an extraordinary amount of natural light to make its way into the bar/restaurant and I made sure to use it to my advantage at all times. It made life easy in the sense that I could could have a great balance of shots of Alysha and Justin both sitting down and either leaning on the bar or standing up for an environmental portrait. The venue really brought out the atmosphere of the occasion and I think it paired well with the overall aesthetic that Justin had envisioned even before picking my brain as a professional photographer.

     There’s something really special to me in shooting a surprise marriage proposal. I can only imagine it’s a nerve-racking event and it’s safe to say Justin was definitely feeling all sorts of emotions; between weddings in Puerto Rico I thoroughly enjoy photographing these the most due to the fact that it serves as a prequel of what’s to come. I get to witness how it all started, even more so when they book me to be their photographer as well. By having that initial step documented, it allows me to enhance their love story even more because I have that preface; it’s like reading part two of a trilogy without having browsed through the first few chapters. It doesn’t always happen, of course, but when it does it makes my story-telling that much more interesting.

Just us…

     One of the best things you can do in these scenarios is to tell their story with attention to detail. During a surprise marriage proposal, the focal points are explicit: the epic moment when Justin kneels down asking for Alysha’s hand in marriage as well is the obligatory shots of the epic engagement ring with which he was going to do it. I wanted to highlight it as best as I could and I loved how this shot came out with both of their glasses in the frame as well as their hand embrace reflected on the table’s glass top. Professional photographers in Puerto Rico often forget to follow the establishing shots with medium and tight images that aid in the understanding of the activity that is taking place.

Kids.

     You can tell a session is going really well when you take naturally occurring shots like this one above of Alysha just soaking in the moments. Admittedly, it’s exactly what I was aiming for: two lovebirds just having the most meaninful display of their love to this day and having private conversations of what transpired to make it happen as well as thoughts of what’s about to happen moving forward. The Nubeluz bar was a great spot for photography; the staff setting up was nice enough to move out of the frame while they were setting up for opening and the mirrors in the back were a pretty good prop for getting creative as a Puerto Rico photographer. It was obviously my first time shooting here and, although I showed up just hours earlier, I was still challenging myself with anything I could find.

He sees her in him…

All in all, we had an amazing time for about the next hour or so getting as creative as possible with the best spots at the venue. It was a gratifying experience to be able to travel to New York City and capture this very special moment for Alysha and Justin. It was honestly as fun for me as it was for them! During the course of the next two days we would also work together to break the news to their parents in the lobby the following morning and in the evening the couple would rent another space so that their closest friends can also join in on their happiness. This trip was an all-encompassing experience for me as a Puerto Rico wedding photographer and one I can wish to replicate.

Views.

Mademoiselle.

The future looks bright.