If you have been reading our little website long enough you might know that we make almost everything a family affair, even when the son-in-laws might not be so keen. So when Taryn’s (my sister and co-founder of Foodietown) boyfriend told us he was going to do a secret proposal on Friday, October 13th (her favourite day as a fan of the macabre) we knew that somehow we would be there. At first, I figured we’d be there in spirit with the help of Flytographer capturing the moment. But then we all started to think about it….why don’t we crash the secret proposal? With the approval of my future brother-in-law we hopped onto a BC Ferry and made our way to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It wasn’t too difficult as we were already in Vancouver, BC for an event.
Why we chose Flytographer
Flytographer was super easy to use and for guys who know the objective but have a hard time in planning, it was just the ticket to make a secret proposal in Victoria, BC super easy.
We are all out-of-towners. Taryn and I had only been to the city once or twice before for business. For Taryn’s boyfriend, I believe it was his first time so he didn’t know the layout of the city and definitely not where and when the best time to propose would be.
What we loved about using the Flytographer website was how easy it was to select a photographer based on their style and experience. We also enjoyed the suggested locations for the photoshoot. Places like Beacon Hill Park were easy to get to and Chinatown would make for historic and colourful shoots. But you can also suggest or request photoshoot locations if you’re more in the know.
Once you select a location and a photographer, they will send a return email to confirm availability. Unfortunately with only 2 weeks until October 13th our first selection of a photographer wasn’t available. We were in tight. But Flytographer used their connections to find us another photographer! The surprise proposal and crashing of said proposal was back on! She narrowed down the location at Beacon Hill Park, the stone bridge from 1889. It checked all the boxes. Romantic, photographable, a mix of tourists and locals, and a rumoured haunting to check off her love of all things Halloween on Friday, October 13th.
How do we keep ourselves concealed?
My parents and I were instructed to hide behind a pavilion on the south side of the stone bridge in Beacon Hill Park. The couple was fashionably late and so I had time to peruse Beacon Hill Park. Beacon Hill is a massive park in downtown Victoria. It is 740,000 square metres of parkland, numerous ponds, birds, ecosystems both planted and natural, but the stone bridge from 1889 is really a great spot for photographs, even on a dreary late Autumn day.
Finally when Taryn and her boyfriend did arrive we were so excited and dodged behind this bush to see if we could see a bit more – as you see in the video above, I was able to capture a bit of the actual proposal.
How did the photographer stage the secret proposal?
The photographer was acting as a bird photographer. The bridge overlooks a lake where a crane, ducks and other wildlife frequent (also in the video). She was photographing the surroundings when Taryn and her boyfriend paused on the bridge. She approached them to ask if they’d like their photo taken.
Taryn admits that her curiosity was piqued but she went along. There was a keyword that was said by the photographer to signal the proposal. Once she took the photos of the proposal she would either text or give us the thumbs up to emerge from our hiding place by the pavilion.
Et Voila! The secret proposal went off without a hitch and I was able to keep the secret – if you know me…this is hard to do!
Congratulations Taryn <3
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