Proposal: Emily & Josh - South Shore Beaches, Bermuda

If you’d like to get a glimpse of a “dream proposal”, look no further! Two Broadway actors, young and in love, get engaged on a beach in Bermuda!  I’ve dubbed it “Broadway on Bermuda”; cute, right? Josh Paul Young - who played the role of “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar; a role which he was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical -  first got in touch with me last October and inquired about a Proposal Photo Package.  We picked the date for the shoot and the location: Jobson's Cove! 

Josh came up with a detailed plan for him to pop the question to his girlfriend, the ever so talented actress and singer,  Emily Padgett.  As an actress, Emily is often asked to model for photographers.  Josh's plan consisted of me pretending to be the cousin of a mutual friend of Emily's.  This friend told Emily that her "cousin" (myself) wanted to take photos of her while she and Josh were as on vacation in Bermuda at Jobson's Cove.  Before we linked up, I told Josh my secret "hand signals" to let him know I was ready to capture him popping the question! I took a few photos of Emily solo and when she was least expecting it, gave the signal to Josh to join her by the water's edge for his big moment! 

Emily’s reaction was priceless!  As he got down on one knee to present the ring, Emily gasped and jumped up and down with excitement.   Emily shed a few tears as Josh put the ring on her finger.  From there, we started with the next “chapter” of the photo shoot: Engagement Photos!  It's always an amazing feeling to photograph a proposal and then also have time for an Engagement Session afterwords.  While we explored the different paths, beaches and inlets, Emily said the two of them had met through their their manager!  How romantic! 

As the sun began to set , a gorgeous glow of light appeared and the water appeared more teal than usual.  We made our way to the next beach.  Before their trip to Bermuda, Josh had told me he was acting in a play at the Shakespeare Theatre in my hometown of Washington D.C.  We compared notes on the “ins-and-outs of living in the City and it was interesting to hear about their time in D.C.   The two have since moved back up to New York City and Emily will soon be “gearing up” for her next Broadway Role as Mrs. Buckett in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which opens March 28th at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre! 

Josh and Emily were brave souls on this cold winter day in January! Contrary to popular belief, the water does get cold in Bermuda although this did not stop Josh and Emily from getting in the water!  As we walked back towards the parking lot, we passed Jobson's Cove again. I said, "Do you guys want to re-enact the proposal? Eh? Eh?"  Josh and Emily immediately took their spots, got into "character", and nailed their own rendition of their proposal; an amazing performance; two thumbs up!

At the end of the shoot, I gave the two a ride back to Newstead, where they were staying.  After their stay at the hotel, they were going to board a cruise ship where Josh would be performing his one-man show for the next few nights.  I was thankful to help Josh capture this special moment in their lives and had a blast working with the two of them!  Please join me in congratulating the two of them as they start their new lives together!

For press inquiries, please email Melanie Fiander of Fiander Foto at "info@fianderfoto.com".

Engagement: Lina & James - Manhattan, New York City

Three years ago this month, I had the pleasure of shooting an Engagement Session for a young lady, Lina, and her fiancé, James, in the Lower Manhattan. What made this a special photo shoot was that I've known Lina most of my life. Naturally, there's a long story to our connection. Her cousin, Alex and I, grew up together; side by side. From time to time, Alex's cousins would drive down to Arlington, VA from Chinatown in NYC for a visit; Miss Lina being one of his cousins.

It was always exciting when Alex's cousins would come down from New York City; their trips always resulted in a backyard BBQ by Alex's mom, Aunt Sylven, in South Arlington. Alex and I were a little bit older than Lina and I can remember hearing about the different stages of Lina's life from Aunt Syl. One of the most memorable was Lina's acceptance to George Washington University in D.C. Aunt Syl was particularly proud because that's where she taught.

When I learned Lina was engaged to James, I was very happy for her. When I heard they wanted me to take their engagement and wedding photos, I was very flattered - to say the least. I travelled up to NYC from D.C., and we shot the engagement photos on the same day as their amazing wedding reception, which was held at the Golden Unicorn in Chinatown. Their third anniversary is just around the corner... stay tuned for a few of their wedding photos!