A Long Island City Engagement Session- Ellyse and Mike

How do you keep a secret from your best friend? It is nearly impossible. But, when it comes to something as important as planning a surprise proposal, you just have to do what you have to do and that’s what I did.
When Mike called me, I was standing in the middle of a conference surrounded by 200 other photographers. He told me he needed help with something. Actually, it sounded more like this, “So here’s the thing, I want to buy Ellyse a ring and she said you’re the only one I’m allowed to ask for help.” Thanks Mike. How am I supposed to jump up and down with excitement in front of 200 people?

The next few weeks were filled with pictures of rings and location ideas. We covered up the secret with pictures of new laptops as a disguise. Well, I actually did buy a new laptop, and it did help to camouflage why we were talking so much. 

He decided to propose in Bermuda during their cruise. Now for the next few weeks I had to keep such an exciting secret from my cousin, who is also my best friend, and my entire family. It was SO HARD! But, I can’t help but laugh at the funny moments. Like the time Ellyse was playing VR in the living room and Mike asked if I wanted to see the ring. So while Ellyse was slicing virtual boxes in half with a giant head mask on, I was actually in her bedroom admiring her beautiful ring for the first time then rushing to put it back before the game ended. 

I was counting down the days for this cruise and I wasn’t even going. When the day came, all I could think was finally. Then, I got a text from Mike. He dropped his phone in the pool on the first day of the cruise. It was breaking and he was nervous he wasn’t going to be able to get in touch with any of the vendors he booked for the proposal. After panicking, I went as far as trying to mail my own phone to the post office in Bermuda just to ensure Mike could have a phone for the proposal. Before I could tell Mike about my perfectly executed plan to mail my cell phone to a foreign country, his number went green. His phone died and I didn’t hear back from him after that. 

The next day I opened my email and laughed. “Oh my God, Mike remembered my email!” 

He was emailing me and all the vendors from the cruise ship. 
Luckily, everything was working out even though he had to steal Ellyse’s phone out of her bag to text his photographer and the restaurant without her knowing then delete the texts so she wouldn’t see them. 

We knew the hardest part was going to be convincing Ellyse to leave the beach earlier than she wanted to. Anyone who knows Ellyse knows we do not leave the beach until SHE is ready. Luckily, it turned out the idea of getting massages in a cave sounded better to her than staying at the beach.
Now, the hard part was getting her to the restaurant. Mike was trying to take her to a private restaurant under a gazebo. He suggested they get dinner at a resort, but she didn’t understand why they couldn’t just go into town like she wanted to. “Whatever Mike, we will just eat here if you want to eat here so bad.” Mike thought the toughest part was over until they got to the fork in the road, literally. To the left was the long pier with the private gazebo, rose petals, and dinner waiting for them where he was going to get on one knee and ask her to marry him. To the right was a stray cat. Can you guess which direction Ellyse, the ultimate cat lover, chose to go?
After giving the cat a significant amount of attention, Mike managed to get Ellyse to the pier. Weeks of planning were coming to fruition and he finally asked her to be his wife! 

I am so happy to have been a part of every moment of planning this special engagement, and I couldn’t be more excited to stand by her side on her wedding day as her maid of honor and for every day after that. 
I love you both unconditionally! Congratulations on your engagement!