New Orleans Surprise Proposal Photography

Diana proposes to Kelli with a watch over a surprise luxury picnic at the Tree of Life

This New Orleans Tree of Life surprise proposal deserves a solid “SQUEEEEEE!!!”

I worked with Diana for several months carefully crafting this picnic surprise for her girlfriend, Kelli. They live together in a tiny home (aka an airstream they pull behind Diana’s truck) which makes for some challenging covert communication. Diana was often running “errands” so she could shoot me a text or give me a call. But the excitement of what we were planning was worth the extra trips to the store.

When Diana first approached me about a picnic proposal it was going to be my first (Gage slid in for a picnic in between booking Diana and when her proposal actually happened). I had been wanting to do one for a while because it’s just the cutest damn idea and I wanted to make it really special with touches from different local small businesses. It was a unique opportunity to showcase the work of some people doing really sweet stuff in town that I don’t normally get to work with.

First up was getting a custom charcuterie board made for Diana and Kelli. I wanted a place to not only display their picnic spread but also send them home with a keepsake they can look at and remember their magical evening. I hollered at my friend and badass woodworker, Kendra Lemoine of Reclaim Nola. She makes really dope and often very intricate charcuterie boards and she was thrilled to make one for this lovely couple. She layered pieces of purple heart pine with strips of lighter and darker wood for a truly one-of-a-kind board. She said that the two purple pieces represented Kelli and Diana. There’s a strip of wood between them to show that while they are still their own separate people, together they make something beautiful (AWWWWUH!). She also inlaid a crescent moon because the couple is not only really into the moon but also to symbolize their proposal in the Crescent City.

I called on Kim at Reunion Boards to put together a charcuterie selection that would fit on top of Kendra’s board. We met in Metairie one morning for me to hand off the wooden work of art. She carefully arranged all of the food, leaving enough of the board showing so Kelli and Diana could see the loving touches Kendra put on their board (I didn’t show Diana the board beforehand- I wanted something to be a surprise for her, too!). Lastly, I hollered at my boy Christopher Nobles at Piety and Desire Chocolate for the final sweet addition to their picnic spread. He picked out one of his artisanal chocolate bars and a 4 bon-bon box. His packaging is really luxe so I had to make it part of the display. The blue bag and gold logo actually matched everything that Diana brought for the picnic perfectly! When it all came together I was truly impressed at how well all the different parts meshed.

Diana picked out some cute pillows, blankets, decor, and a champagne bucket. She arranged them all in her storage unit weeks in advance and sent me photos of the vibe. She said she’d done the same thing inside of Target (insert laugh crying emoji here). She was so excited and honestly I was too! I always love proposals. But working with Diana had been such a joy that this was one I was really looking forward to. We got to meet the day before the proposal to hand off all of the decor and a bottle of champers. It was awfully hot for an afternoon in late October but I assured her that it would be much cooler in the evening in Audubon Park than it was in that boiling CBD grocery store parking lot. I was right!

Kendra helped me set everything up on the day of the surprise. We got there extra early so I could be sure to get a bazillion photos of the setup. While we were setting up, another couple was walking around under the tree. They asked what we were up to and when we told them, they said that it was their first anniversary and they’d gotten married at that very spot. Yet another couple came up and they said they were getting married at that spot in just a few days. Love was definitely in the air. The stage was set for magic.

Everything really was picture perfect even before the couple arrived. And then when Diana got on one knee… ::chef’s kiss::. Did I mention that Diana proposed with a watch!? While this may not have ended up the very first picnic surprise proposal for me, it was DEFINITELY the first surprise proposal with a watch instead of a ring! How cool is that? I loved absolutely everything about this Tree of Life Surprise Proposal- the couple, the watch, working with killer local artisans, and capturing love under an ancient Oak in late October.

After we wrapped their portraits, Diana walked Kendra and me back to my car because she had gifts for us (!!). She gave us each beautifully wrapped presents and I was so taken aback. Diana owns a small business, New Moon Sanctuary, and she gave us each rose quartz crystal elixir water bottles. They are SO nice. I couldn’t believe it! We thanked Diana, I gave her a big hug, and told her to go enjoy her picnic. As she walked back to the tree, Kelli came running to her and launched herself into Diana’s arms. Love, man. It’s good shit.

Enjoy this selection of images from Diana and Kelli’s New Orleans Surprise Proposal Picnic!

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