16/09/2022
Being a photographer means that I often get to document the milestones in my family and friends' lives.
One of these occasions is when I got to photograph my best friend's engagement!
There’s a heartfelt story behind these beautiful yellow-soaked photos. If you’d like to hear it, read on xx
When Cayleigh moved from Cape Town to Mossel Bay, I was so sad that we wouldn’t always be around for the ‘big moments’ in each other's lives. I mean sure, we have WhatsApp video calls and endless voice notes but it’s never really the same as being there in person when you want to celebrate those milestones together.
Last year, Zach (Cayleigh’s Fiance’) reached out to our group of friends to let us know that he was planning on asking Cayleigh to be his forever person. We were over the moon with the news! It just so happened that Cay’s Birthday was coming up at the time so we started to plan our own top-secret mission to surprise our girl.
Myself, Kerry, and Dev (the best friends) loaded up our cars on a Friday afternoon with padkos and an endless list of road trip songs and set off on our 6-hour drive to Mossel Bay to surprise Cayleigh with a visit for her birthday and to help Zach pull off the ultimate surprise proposal.
We snickered as we planned our sneaky entrance. She had no idea at all that on a quiet Friday night on their farm, the three of us would roll up. We drove through the gates as quietly as possible and dimmed our lights. As we got closer to the house, we all jumped into the same car and got into position. We decided an entrance song was in order so we opted for the infamous white chicks hit track - “A Thousand Miles”. Quite fitting because by that point it felt like it had we had been driving for the longest time.
With our song on full blast, and the three of us hanging strategically out of the windows of the car we pulled up in front of their house. I’ll never forget the look on Cayleighs face - a combination of surprise and pure excitement. And Zach’s face? A humble smile knowing that he managed to pull off the first surprise.
We spent the night chatting away and catching up before leaving for our overnight accommodation. We convinced Cay that we should have brunch in the morning with all the friends, but little did she know it was all part of the plan.
The next morning we arrived back at the farm to set up brunch. We decorated a table with flowers, champagne, and delicious food. As the table was set, so was the scene!
We told Cay that we had prepared a birthday song for her along with sign boards saying happy birthday. I know what you’re thinking - a little odd or maybe a bif of a giveaway? But not with our group of friends. Anything goes with the four of us, especially an impromptu song and dance! We got Zach to join us in the lineup as we stood in front of her, ring in his pocket and a nervous glimmer in his eyes. As the birthday song ended, their favourite song began to play from the car and slowly we flipped each signboard over to spell out “Will You Marry Me”. Ofcorse by this time tears were flowing from every set of eyes and she gave him a big YES!
The rest of the day was spent celebrating their engagement around the table and after copious amounts of champagne, belly laughs, and a few photos of all of us together, we made our way down to the canola fields to take some pictures.
Although tipsy on champagne and drunk on pure happiness - we managed to get these beautiful photos of Zach, Cayleigh, and Zeus.
Needless to say, this shoot is one of my favourites because of the story behind it all. And this is exactly why photographs are so important. Photos are like a little gateway to a memory. It keeps those moments alive as it freezes time for just a few seconds. I’ll cherish these forever as I am sure they will too
