Ottawa Parliament Proposal: Helen + Yale

Ottawa-Proposal-Session-Stephanie-Beach-Photography-Parliament-Hill-engagementAfter he has proposed, and after she had said yes, Helen + Yale joined me for an absolutely delightful engagement session. One of the first stops was actually behind the Parliament buildings, overlooking the city. And as I stood there I could pretty much see the spot further up the river where Dave had proposed to me not so long ago. I realized that I had just captured their proposal in such close proximity to where my own had taken place, and that made this special day even more memorable.

But back to that proposal between Yale + Helen, because it was pretty awesome. A walk around downtown Ottawa ending up in front of the Parliament buildings by the Centennial Flame with Yale down on one knee – classic. I was a fair bit away from them (it was surprise session after all) and as a result I don’t actually know how Yale asked Helen to marry him, but clearly he did it correctly as not only did Helen say yes, but she was completely over the moon and literally jumping for joy!

Now there are endless possibilities when it comes to proposing to your loved one, but in my opinion it is more than just that one moment when you pop the question that ends up being part of your proposal story. It is also about the build-up to the big moment and the celebration afterwards too. For these two it included a trip to our fine city (although we did get a cold patch during their trip mixed with weirdly timed rain) and outings to take in all the sites they could. During the session we walked all around Parliament and through parts of the Rideau Centre (to warm up) and over to the National Art Gallery.

It was actually here that Yale pulled out another surprise for Helen – an absolutely adorable stuffed bear to add to her collection. With her new fuzzy companion, and her fiance serenading her we wrapped up this fantastic afternoon on a real high note. Thank you both for allowing me to be part of such a special moment in your lives, it was truly an honour!

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