On Friday, I had the privilege of capturing my friend Jonathan’s proposal to his girlfriend Irena at the Frederik Meijer Gardens. She was taken completely by surprise and of of course, said yes. The location was inside one of the art exhibits inside the gardens and Jonathan had someone place some flowers and a note on a bench deep inside the exhibit. I was able hide behind a wall, and Irena didn’t see me until it was all over… Everything went perfectly! Here’s a few shots of the proposal.
 
 
Just after the proposal and Irena’s “YES!!”, Jonathan surprised her with the next exciting part of their day together… a HELICOPTER RIDE! Of course I came along to document the trip for them. Here’s a few favorite shots from the ride.
Below: right before take off
We started out touring Caledonia and then headed north to Rockford. Â
Here’s a fun fish eye shot of the north east side of Grand Rapids (just east of Plainfield)Â
A self portrait / action shot… just to prove I was there. : )
After Rockford we flew south … right past my neighborhood! I got this great shot of my street. It really is incredible at full size… so much detail to look at.
Approaching downtown Grand RapidsÂ
After the helicopter ride…
The next stop was downtown GR to grab a few quick shots shots together. This wasn’t a formal engagement photo session… just some candid moments on the way to their next destination.
Jonathan is so creative and fun to work with … this was his idea below.
Ok, so I posed this last one a bit… but what a fun picture!Â
The last stop (that I was aware of at least) was “The 1913 Room” at the Amway Grand Hotel.  We grabbed a few last shots before they had dinner together.
Thanks again Jonathan and Irena for the opportunity to be a part of your special day together! I hope the wedding plans go smoothly… and that I can be a part of the wedding as well. 
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