Toronto proposal photography Archives

Sunnyside Pavillion Toronto Waterfront Proposal | Artin & Arpi

June 2, 2020

Sunnyside Pavillion Toronto Waterfront Proposal | Artin & Arpi

Artin called me knowing he wanted to propose to Arpi, but he wasn’t sure how yet.
He knew he wanted to include a message in a bottle with a special note, but he wasn’t sure how.
He knew he wanted to involve water, but Arpi was afraid of going on a boat.
He wanted the location to be special, but secluded.
So, I suggested Sunnyside Pavillion and it was a hit!

Sunnyside Pavillion is down on Toronto’s waterfront. It’s right beside the lake, with a beach and boardwalk. Thing is, it’s quite busy there! But, there’s a gooorgeous courtyard inside Sunnyside Pavillion cafe that many people don’t know about! In fact, if you visit the cafe and venture into the courtyard, chances are it’ll be pretty much deserted in there. It’s absolutely a hidden gem.
And it has this amazing Spanish villa look to it. How unique!

After Artin checked out some images of the spot online, he agreed it would be a great spot for his surprise proposal, and now we had to decide how it would happen.
We devised a plan: They would go out for dinner, and after dinner they would go for a little stroll, exploring and finding themselves in the courtyard. During their stroll Arpi would notice a message in a bottle, and Artin would tell her she should try to open it. And inside would be the love note, and once she was done reading he would be down on one knee. How fun!

One little dilemma: How would the bottle get there?? Where exactly would it be?
So we met up on a day before their proposal date to go over the location options, where I would hide, timing, and he gave me the bottle to bring with me and place on the actual day.

As you can see in the photos it went off without a hitch… and now these two are getting hitched!

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If you like looking at Toronto proposal photography you might enjoy Anthony & Allie’s surprise vacation proposal at an Air BnB they were staying at, or Jeremy and Samantha’s sentimental proposal at U of T where they first met!

Surprise Toronto Proposal Photography | Rob & Jeannie

January 28, 2018

Surprise Toronto Proposal Photography

I’ve had butterflies in my stomach all week about this one! Such an exciting thing to be a part of!

Rob reached out before he moved to Toronto for a job assignment.
He and Jeannie are from Michigan and they’ve been together for 4 years.
His plan was to move to his new apartment in #thesix, then once settled have Jeannie come for a visit and surprise her with more than his new digs.

He wanted to find a place that really showcased what Toronto looks like.
What better way than to get a Batman/birds-eye view from above?

The folks at the Thompson Hotel graciously welcomed us to use the rooftop, which is usually closed during the Winter months. (It included a minimum spend in the rooftop lounge, but that made for a really nice way to round out the evening – They had bubbly and food ready for them as soon as we came back in inside!)

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She actually had a feeling he’d propose to her that day, but she thought it would be back at his apartment. He told her to get dressed up for a night on the town and her Spidey sense started tingling. Where would he do it? Would it be at a restaurant? She didn’t realize it would be something as epic as being on top of the city!

Rob and I kept a close eye on the weather. It was calling for rain, but we stuck to the plan and though cloudy, the rain stopped for the big moment!

When they came up to the rooftop to take in the view, her expressions as she realized what was happening were AMAZING. “Is this really happening??” She asked. He said he loves her so much and wants to spend the rest of their life together. When he asked the question, her response was a resounding, ‘DUH!!’ – It was adorable.

She kept looking at her ring, then back at him: “This is actually happening! We’re engaged!”
He revealed that he’d had the ring for 2 months. He had it custom made after a visit to a jewellery store where he took note of her preferences and ring size. Smooth moves, Rob!

Jeannie mentioned she kind of blacked out as it was happening. That’s not the first time I’ve heard of that happening at a proposal! Which makes it even more gratifying that I could be there to immortalize these memories for them.

Here’s a look at Rob & Jeannie’s surprise Toronto proposal!

Toronto Proposal Photographer | U of T Proposal

January 19, 2017

I always get excited when someone reaches out about photographing a proposal.
Proposal photography is somethin’ else.

It’s getting to snap a moment in a couple’s relationship that is just so full of magic. The romance, anticipation, excitement – it’s all enough to make your heart skip a beat.

Jeremy got in touch with a really sweet proposal idea — He and Samantha met years ago while studying at U of T, and even though they have since graduated he wanted to take her back to the place where it all began.

Here are some highlights from their U of T proposal, which you can read more about at the bottom of the post!

His idea was to create a scavenger hunt for her. He would have a letter for her at each of the spots with clues for the next one (along with super romantic sentiments, I’m sure – those letters were long!). Each spot along the way had some significance to their courtship.

Where I came in: Jeremy wanted a proposal photographer to photograph the whole thing. I was of course so excited!

We met up before the day to go through his proposal plan, including walking through all the spots so I could scope out places to hide. (And so we could plan where they should stand so my lens could see and snap it all.)

On the proposal day I brought my super long lens so I could hide out of sight and snap away.
It was kind of funny – as they walked to the different checkpoints I hid behind cars, trees, walls – and even hot dog stands – to avoid being seen in case she happened to glance back. I hopped from spot to spot, and I have to admit I giggled a bit as I did so, feeling totally like a proposal photography spy.

At one point there was nowhere to hide to get a clear shot so I took a few photos and quickly turned around and photographed in another direction to make it look like I was just a random person snapping the campus scenery. It was pretty hilarious.
And she didn’t notice!

Aaah, then came the big moment.

He led them to a super beautiful building (who are we kidding, U of T is full of gorgeous architecture, but this one was super significant to them), and got down on one knee.

Oh man, my heart leapt.
She started to cry and smile and it was just amazing.

She said yes, and just like that, a new chapter in their life had begun!

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Interested in checking out (or getting your own) proposal photography? Andy had just 24 hours in Toronto to pull his plans off!
If this is an idea you’re into, I’d love to hear from you! Get in touch!