Symbol Photography, finally, engaged!

Boston wedding photographers engaged!

Let's thank the great Almighty for making this monumental moment possible.

And Gisele Bundchen's helicopter teacher.

Stacey Howe states: "Let's celebrate the newly-married, Mrs. Cagwin's wedding! She's been married for months now and we haven't celebrated yet!"
Please.
Right there, that should have been my red-flag. Stacey Howe would never allow such an important event to go uncelebrated. She celebrates like she gets paid to celebrate....she specializes in it. Brendan couldn't have chose a better person to involve in his well-planned, thorough, Excel spreadsheet-laden proposition. They've never even met....but her legend precedes her.

"Meet Mipsy and I at Copley and we'll head up to Top of the Hub and wait to meet the Almighty ladies, in all of their post-pedicure fanfare, and we'll celebrate the newly married Emily!"
Stacey baits the line, and I bite. We meet, because I'm always up for some Almighty interaction. We 3 head up to the 52nd floor & we check-in with the hostess (who, in retrospect, seemed a bit bajiggity.) She struggles with where to seat us and I make the brilliant suggestion to seat us near the window while we wait for the rest of the group and despite other people lingering at the bar, waiting to sit, she ok's my suggestion and we settle in.

We chat about teaching. India. Running. Ex-girlfriend's coffee cups. It wasn't necessarily deep conversation, but it was important, nonetheless, as girlfriends always work to know their friends on a deeper level. And the whole time, I'm thinking "How long can a dang pedicure take? They're just a block away, for God's sake...."
Mustafa, the TOTH manager, swings by our table and asks how things are and shares a pair of binoculars with us, saying "Ladies, you have a great view and we like to share binoculars with our customers so that they can enjoy the scenery from this high up." Nice touch, I thought. Sounds reasonable.

So, Stacey oohs and aahs over the view.....takes her time looking around. Melissa does the same. She's excited and she's pointing things out. They finally hand the binoculars to me and I gaze out a bit. Look some things over. Put them down for a minute so that I could get back to gazing at my wine. Then, they point out that "Look! A helicopter is coming this way!" So, I look. I see it coming. I'm not all that overwhelmed - I mean, it's not like it's Air Force One flying in the airspace between the Hancock Tower and the Prudential.
But, I notice it's coming in quick and as it begins to get closer to the windows, I can make out the word "Marry", so I immediately say "Oh, look! Someone's getting proposed to." and I hand off the binoculars so that Stacey can see. And she pushes them back at me and says "Yeah, it's you!"

Natalie: "Huh?"
Stacey & Melissa, in unison: "That's Brendan! This is for you!"
Natalie: "For who? Wait...what?"

...and then, with my mouth hanging open and sheer confusion all over my face, Mustafa comes over with a big sign that reads "YES" on one side and "NO" on the other and everyone tells me to stand up and respond to him! To put the sign up against the window and tell him YES! Photographer friends appear out of nowhere and are snapping each dim-witted look on my face.
Everyone in the Top of the Hub is standing up and clapping and waiting. BRENDAN is outside, in a helicopter, hanging in mid-air with a sign that reads "Natalie - Marry Me!" and I still am just standing there - punch drunk and speechless.
Finally, I make it to the window and I put my hands up to the glass and I hold that YES up high. He waves - and he flies away.

People are clapping. Two photographers are shooting at me (now I know how you feel, brides) and I'm dazed. Stacey tells me that Brendan is landing the helicopter at Logan and coming over right away. I wait. Champagne appears. Hugs. Shrieks. Questions. Congratulations.
...and finally, he was there. Wearing the same DC sweatshirt that he was wearing when he left the house earlier that day, telling me he was going to wash his car. The same sweatshirt he was wearing when he weaved a web of perfectly organized fibs - all with the plan to enact the most epic of proposals. And epic it truly was. TOTH staff noted that this was the very first helicopter proposal where the man was outside the window, waiting, ever. They almost exclusively get planes with banners.
More clapping. Kisses. Huge, silly, loony-looking smiles. He's on his knee with the most perfect ring for me - a ring I couldn't believe he was capable of choosing himself. An ideal blend what he wanted for this moment and what he knew I would want for myself.

The hoops that were jumped through, the walls that were scaled, the roadblocks that were overcome to make this possible cannot be explained. City permits for helicopters. For landing at Logan. Police permits for flying an aircraft between two buildings. My words cannot truly do it justice - he had it all figured out, down to the smallest detail.

And today, we spent the day in Montpelier. Killington. Woodstock and Rutland. It was a perfect day of aimless driving with no plans, that followed yesterday's perfectly planned, perfect day. One year ago today, we were in Derry, Ireland and I sat there at dinner, wondering when this would ever happen. And now, I'm thinking that this year went by way too fast. Don't miss out on enjoying the moments with the person you love, preparing to enjoy future events. It's taken just 24 hours for me to realize that, now that I'm faced with preparations, all I want to do is enjoy the moments.

So, now....a Boston Wedding Photographer is just....a bride. And a groom.

So, Almighty & Emily - it was because an opportunity and a celebration were dangled in front of me that I was coerced over to TOTH, so keep on being your bad selves.

We'd like to take a minute to thank everyone that made this possible. Stacey Howe, Stuart Matsumoto, Melissa Mips, Don Lavange, Amol Patankar, Jessica Lavange and lastly, but surely not least, Mustafa @ Top of the Hub Restaurant. Also, the FAA, BPD, Boston Properties and probably Homeland Security (You can take the undercover van off our property, now).

Our friend Serjeo of Boston for crafting the perfect, fine hand sculpted diamond ring: Serjeo of Boston

Our friend Stuart of Metropolitan Helicopters: Metropolitan Helicopters.

Mustafa Hadria(Manager Top of the Hub Restaurant): Top of the Hub.

...and most important of all to Brendan, for choosing me - and for hovering and waiting for me to say 'YES'.

Finally, the Photos & Video:


Preparing for takeoff from Marshfield, holding my 5DMKII with 14 2.8II and Rode Videomic:



Coming in over Quincy:



Here we come over South Boston:



Destination Top of the hub!:



Amol is shooting away, Stuart is questioning how i talked him into this:



Holding sign and 5DMKII with 14 2.8 II:



Holding sign and 5DMKII with 14 2.8 II:



Holding sign and 5DMKII with 14 2.8 II:



Holding sign and 5DMKII with 14 2.8 II:



Whoa, a plane in the background. Good timing Don!:


















Tiny, but still visible:



I was told the whole restaurant gasped. Then they stood up and cheered:



Visual Trickery, we are less than 400FT away:



Stacey telling Natalie, check that out, it's a helicopter:



Natalie doesn't see her name on sign, tells Stacey someone is getting proposed to:




Natalie learning it's me on the Helo and it's she getting proposed to. Notice deer in headlights look. Not typical Natalie:



Dumbfounded:



Dumbfounded and excited?:



Excited, Mustafa looking on in background:



Probably questioning why i wrote 'yes' and not 'no' also.:



Don Joking with Natalie:



Natalie trying to catch her breath, and Don shooting away with his 500mm:



Natalie still comprehending:



Looking back out at us, still comprehending:



Giving Stacey a big hug:



Stacey and Melissa enjoying the view:



First thing first, call mumma :) :



Can't believe what just happened:



Can't believe what just happened:



Said sign:



Finally arrives from Logan:



The 'proper' proposal:



Admiring Ring:



Loves the ring! Score!:

Symbol Photography Proposal 3 from Symbol Photography on Vimeo.

Symbol Photography Proposal 1 from Symbol Photography on Vimeo.

Symbol Photography Proposal 2 from Symbol Photography on Vimeo.