A Proposal Story on Lake St. Clair by Ross Oscar Knight

Wednesday, May 4, 2011


Terrell's inquiry email arrived in my inbox October 30, 2010: "I am going to propose to my soul mate and would like to have you shoot this moment. She and I have discussed taking professional pictures together and I would like to take advantage of the moment to ask for her hand/heart/soul..."

As soon as I read the words "soul mate" I was all in for helping with the plan. Even if the proposal was going to be on my birthday weekend. 8-)

The story of Terrell and Jenese's relationship began in cyberspace while they were living in Detroit and Chicago, respectively. After web chatting for a season, the late night phone calls and all-day texts just weren't enough to satisfy the insatiable thirst these two had to be near one another. Acting on impulse, Terrell decided to drive (unannounced) to Chicago to show his commitment and desire to be closer to Jenese. Luckily, Jenese agreed to meet him at a neutral location and that's when Terrell turned on the charm. The emotional and physical attraction was confirmed as they talked face-to-face over a meal. Neither wanted the night to end. Fast forward through many dates/celebrations in multiple cities and it became obvious what needed to happen next to solidify this bond. Jenese made the move to Michigan and the healthy dose of support caused Terrell to enact his plan towards marital bliss.

The master plan for the proposal began at the Henry Ford Museum. As soon as my plane touched down Sunday morning I drove straight to the museum to begin scoping the scene. Around 3 PM I met the couple in the lobby. Since Jenese thought that I was there to do couple portraits for she and Terrell I asked for her input on the best locations to shoot. I winked at Terrell and we let our secret mission continue to evolve. We all walked through a number of the exhibits (most notably the Rosa Parks bus) and then went back to Terrell's condo so they could change clothes. Next we drove to the Edsel and Elanor Ford House that was close to closing for the day. No worries since Terrell and I knew that the grounds would be less populated at this time. We even thought about the angle of the sun and we had a rain plan. It took an hour or so to visit the different areas of the historic site and then we stopped at a willow tree adjacent to Lake St. Clair. Just 10 minutes earlier I had passed Terrell the ring box from my bag during a carefully orchestrated exchange. I then said my goodbyes and left the two of them talking at the tree. Unbeknownst to Jenese, I wrapped around the building and lay stealth until Terrell was ready to get down on bended knee.

Congratulations to you, Terrell and Jenese! I have the best job in the world to witness so much pure joy from my clients. I was happy to be a small part of your journey that will surely get even better with time.

Here's about 20 out of the 300 pics below! Two more proposals coming to you before the summer is over...stay tuned.

Ross Oscar Knight Photography Destination and Fusion Wedding Photographers










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6 comments:

Andria of Andria Lewis Events said...

Love it! What a sweet story!

hrcofield said...

beatiful capture, beautiful day,beautiful reaction

Unknown said...

Lovely..could read the story from the pictures.
Great moments.
Thank you for sharing.

Fotos by Fola said...

This is awesome. I love surprise proposal and just shot one last week. You captured the moment perfectly.

Mary Lawler Photography said...

Ross...This was beautiful! I could not wait to see these pictures the moment I found out you were coming to Detroit.

Excellente' as always!!!!

Randi said...

Thank you for writing the story behind the proposal. Helped set the scene and to also illustrate love presents itself through whichever wherever it chooses :)