Michelle & Dan
How They Met
We met working at Jimmy Johns during college. It was a long -term gig for me, and a summer job for Michelle. We flirted all summer, but I didn’t take it seriously because I knew she would be going back to school at the end of the summer. I finally decided to ask her out regardless. When I remarked about my disappointment that we couldn’t be in a relationship because of the distance, she swiftly disagreed. We have been together now for 7 years.
The Proposal
Michelle plans events for a living, so I knew that if I wanted to impress her, I needed to bring my A game. Scavenger hunt proposals always seemed like a lot of fun to me. But I wanted to do something on a larger scale. Michelle and I had driven Segways once and had a great time. So, with a little help from coworkers and friends, I concocted a scavenger hunt around Forest Park where Michelle would ride a Segway from location to location. I recruited all of her friends to help, and I started writing the clues.
On the day of the proposal, her coworker, Brian, told her they had a meeting at Forest Park. When they got there, her best friend Julie was waiting along with Bill from Glide St. Louis Tours. Initially, Michelle was confused and insisted that she had to go to her meeting. But after some coaxing, and the introduction of the first clue, Michelle agreed to play along. They proceeded to navigate their way around Forest Park, with guidance from Bill, to the location of each clue. At each location, a friend or family member told Michelle how much they love her and they read a clue that I had prepared for them that included personal details about our relationship that would help her find the next clue. I mounted GoPro cameras on the helmets that Michelle and Julie had to wear, so I captured every moment on video. Along with the GoPro cameras, I hired professional photographers that discreetly followed Michelle on the scavenger hunt and they were able to capture some amazing moments throughout the day. Her final destination was Picnic Island, I was waiting there on a bridge with the photographers and her friends hidden in the bushes. That is where I proposed to Michelle. She said “YES!” and everyone popped out from behind the bushes and cheered. We enjoyed a brief impromptu photoshoot with friends and family and then celebrated later at Sasha’s Wine Bar.
From the GoPro footage, we created an awesome video that we love to share and will enjoy watching for years to come.
The Engagement Session
We chose the Museum Of Transportation as our first stop for our engagement session. Old trains have so much character. They are such massive, impressive machines. And I knew some of that character would translate into our photos. Then we also picked a local park to get some shots with our beloved four-legged children. We have favorites from both locations!
The Engagement Ring
I’m an online shopper, although Michelle will admit from time to time she wishes I would just go to the store. I’ve been buying things on the Internet since we were using dial up. I knew that I could have a positive online experience AND find a ring that reflected the uniqueness of our tastes and relationship from a reputable company. And that is what I did. I selected the diamond and the setting is from the Enchanted Halo collection at Brilliant Earth.
Photography by Kelly Pratt Photography
