Marissa + Dustin’s Proposal Photos at Root Glen

Dustin had been planning a surprise proposal for his girlfriend, Marissa, for quite some time. He knew he wanted two things: to create an epically memorable moment, and to hire a proposal photographer to capture it all. So while he was busy with the details, he recruited Marissa’s sister Patsy to reach out to me so I could document the surprise proposal. I was thrilled that I could squeeze them in and so excited for everything to unfold at Root Glen - a beautiful history garden located at Hamilton College.

When I arrived, Dustin had everything set up. He’d lined the path down to the garden with paper bag luminaries. Each bag had a photo of him and Marissa, along with a notecard that detailed a special memory from their time together.

Marissa showed up, and Dustin got her in position. The moment she opened her eyes and saw the first bag, she was so surprised. She took her time down the path of memories, stopping to carefully read each note he had prepared. It was the sweetest thing to witness.

The final bag was placed underneath a cluster of string lights, just in front of a tiny stream running under a small wooden bridge. As she stopped to read the last note, Dustin bent down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and waited for her to turn around. She spun around, and excitedly said “yes!”

Marissa’s family popped out of the woods to hug and congratulate the newly-engaged couple. Once everything had calmed down a bit, the three of us spent some time taking a few engagement photos near the proposal site. They had brought along some Office-themed cookies, so we made sure to incorporate them into some of the photos.

We headed back up to the parking lot, where her family, friends, and their son was waiting for them. Everyone’s joy was so contagious - they made signs, decorated their car, and had a champagne toast to celebrate the occasion.

I’m always so honored when I can take proposal photos to document these big moments. Congratulations to the happy couple, Marissa and Dustin!