I was so happy when I was asked to photograph Joshua and Shannon’s Disneyland castle proposal. It wasn’t the first time I’ve photographed a Disneyland proposal, and I knew it would be a morning full of sweet emotion. Joshua plays a character on a popular children’s tv show, so he’d told Shannon they were going to be doing a little photo in front of the castle to promote fitness, because they were both running in the half marathon. Just a tip, gentlemen, it’s always good to have someone tell your soon to be fiance that there will be a photo involved on the day of your proposal, so that they dress to the nines when the moment strikes.
When I arrived at the castle, I was nervous because the sunlight was terrible. Our hearts sank even more as we realized Cast Members were beginning to close off the castle for a show that we didn’t know would be happening. Fate was on our side though, because the lighting was gorgeous behind the castle, and the closed-off castle actually worked in our favor. Nobody could walk through the back of the castle because of the show, and Joshua and Shannon had nearly a private moment.
I asked Joshua and Shannon to stand in front of the archway for the castle for the photos. Shannon did a few silly poses while Joshua fumbled around in his pocket, and when he got down on one knee, she was completely surprised. 🙂 I was holding two cameras because I knew I wouldn’t have time to change my lens, and I quickly switched back and forth between my 16-35mm so I could capture the castle, and the 85mm 1.2 so I could photograph them at a closer angle.
Joshua proposed at just the right moment, because right after he popped the question, they let the ropes down in front of the castle and people began to stream through. Joshua and Shannon were too happy to notice though, at that moment in time-they were the only two people in the world. 🙂
The Cast Member who had been holding the ropes for the castle show, surprised them with some “Just Engaged” buttons. It made the morning even sweeter.
I had to giggle a bit about the whole thing. It was so perfect! I sent the images to Disney Fairy Tale Weddings, where they were posted on the official Disney Wedding Facebook Page. There were a few comments on the Facebook post about how it looked like it had been staged, but it wasn’t staged at all! It was just one of those beautiful days where all the stars align and everything works out better than you could have imagined. Kind of like the time I wound up photographing at Club 1901.
Congratulations again, Joshua and Shannon! It was a pleasure to photograph such an important moment for you both! With the way that everything went on that morning, I know you’re both off to a very good start. 😉
So sweet!!! Congrats to the happy couple!
Jenna, it’s been almost 4 years since this and I still remember it so vividly. Thank you so much for capturing this moment for us! We still have the photo up above our fireplace. Thank you thank you! XOXO