Anthony had it all planned out before we even spoke on the phone. He and Michelle would be traveling to Florida from Manhattan to visit family. His mom and her family would help coordinate. They would make a stop by the clock tower on Worth Avenue before going to dinner, which isn’t an unusual thing for them to do. I would be waiting, camera in hand, to capture it all while her family hid out of sight. Hopefully it would all play out like we hoped and the South Florida weather would cooperate. 

I brought my family with me to snap a few shots of them while I waited, in case Michelle spotted me too soon and caught on. We arrived at the clock tower a few minutes early. I waited for a spot to open up in front of the tower and began taking pictures of Penelope and Eric. Traffic was busy, and Anthony’s mom, Gina, was sending me updates on when they would be arriving. Anthony had sent me a photo of them so I knew who to look for. My stomach was in knots as I saw them approaching. Anthony, Michelle and Gina pulled out their phones and took a few pictures, then he embraced Michelle and whispered into her ear while they looked out at the ocean before he dropped to one knee and popped the question. 

She said yes!

What a surprise it was for her to look over and see me focused on them with my camera. And even more surprised when her family walked around the corner from their hiding spot. Champagne and laughter was shared before we went for a little walk for some quick engagement photos. I listened to them discuss the details of how he pulled this off – no easy feat when you share an apartment in NYC during a pandemic. My favorite part was when he admitted to making a fake dinner reservation so she wouldn’t be suspicious. “Well, did you cancel it?” “Uh, no. They’re probably mad about that.” 

This is hands down the best part of my job. I love being in on the secret and sharing the exciting details of people’s lives. It was truly an honor to experience this with them both. Congratulations to the future Mr. and Mrs. Ferrera!