A whirlwind birthday celebration, New York to Paris, for a couple who know and love Paris. Philip contacted me about a surprise proposal for he and his love, Chloe. They met in law school, and were friends for a long time, but friendship bloomed into love.
Now, Philip was taking Chloe to Paris for her birthday, a city she adores, and he couldn’t wait to ask her to marry him in the City of Love. He had the perfect plan, he’d arranged for a very special dinner at the world famous Tour d’Argent, one of the most amazing restaurants in Paris. From the restaurant, they’d have a view of the charming Ile St Louis, and in the distance, Notre Dame Cathedral, still under heavy scaffolding to repair damage from the 2019 fire, but still beautiful to look at and consider its history and importance in the history of Paris.
Philips idea was to walk to the restaurant, not too far from their hotel, and on the way to the restaurant, he’d pull Chloe aside to admire the view and propose to her. We worked on a location together, and came up with the Pont de la Tournelle. This is the first time I’ve ever photographed a proposal on this bridge, most clients prefer a view of the Eiffel Tower. There is no view of the Eiffel Tower from this bridge, but there is a beautiful view of the back of Notre Dame Cathedral, as well as the river and beautiful buildings.
The nice thing about this bridge also, is that there are several spots, almost like little balconies, where you can pull off the bridge to get a view of Paris. I was waiting in one of these spots, Philip and Chloe approached me taking photos, of course she didn’t know who I was. She asked me if I minded taking a photo of the two of them with her cell phone, which was an easy request, so I photographed them with her phone, and gave it back to her.
Chloe had no idea what was going on, of course, so she walked away, but Philip pulled her back and got on one knee. She was really, truly surprised. Her energy and happiness was palpable, and it was a joy to photograph these moments. She was incredibly lovely, and I loved being around this couple and photographing their Paris love story.
We then walked around the island for a bit together, heading to the cobblestone streets along the Seine River, and then up into the neighborhood for some Paris Charm. We ended with a front view of Notre Dame, and I was incredibly happy to share in this couple’s joy!
Wishing Philip and Chloe an amazing life together and thank you for choosing me to capture your surprise proposal!
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