If you’re ever having a bad day or need a little pick-me-up, spend a day with an engagement photographer. You’ll be filled with hope once again! There’s something about being upfront and center for a huge act of love that makes you see the world in a more hopeful light. The day we photographed DJ and Amanda’s engagement was super special.
The Proposal
When DJ contacted us to photograph his proposal to his beautiful then-girlfriend Amanda, we could tell they were going to be a fun couple to work with. We met up with the pair at The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The resort’s stunning interior and beautiful architecture are perfect backdrops for a surprise proposal. We spent the first moments of their engagement with them, and we think the pictures speak for themselves. These two are crazy about each other.
We left them that night in a cloud of bliss and met up with them again the next day for an engagement shoot at the Magic Kingdom!
The Engagement Shoot
The awesome thing about Disney engagement photoshoots is that they truly have something for everyone! If you want classy engagement photos in front of an adorable storefront, you’ve got it. Or, perhaps you want a picture in front of Cinderella’s Castle. We can do that, too! Disney’s parks are so vast and stunning that we can definitely find the perfect backdrop to represent your special day.
We loved the idea of a 2-day photoshoot! Day one was full of all the expected excitement of a proposal, but by day two, after the excitement settled in, DJ and Amanda were relaxed, happy, and extremely photogenic! If you’re considering a Disney proposal, we highly recommend this idea.
If you’re ready to pop the question to your beloved, contact us!
Teachers are some of the most impactful people in our world, holding the power to inspire, inform, and motivate the next generation of leaders. We can all feel a little better about the future knowing that Marissa and Jacob will be in that role. These two lovebirds are both studying to be teachers in San Diego, and we were thrilled to be able to capture the life-changing moment they became engaged.
Marissa and Jacob are some of the most joyful, positive people we’ve had the pleasure of working with. It’s safe to say that Marissa was excited to say “yes” to Jacob, and she was clearly enamored with her gorgeous new ring.
Throughout Marissa and Jacob’s engagement photo session, we enjoyed a simulated trip around the world on Epcot’s spectacular grounds. The newly engaged couple twirled in the streets of France, stood in awe of a Chinese temple, and cozied up in an old-school London phone booth. Their smiles never wavered for an instant.
We have to say that these two make an utterly beautiful couple. It’s easy to see the pure joy between the two of them, and their smiles will brighten any room. They even managed to be color-coordinated with each other in their outfits! The beautiful pinks spoke to the lively, graceful spirit these two shares, and they made the couple truly pop inside a bold pink flower arch we found.
We always particularly love photos that show couples simply having fun together, and Marissa and Jacob’s session was full of these candid shots. They were constantly laughing and giggling together, and it was obvious that their wedded home will be full of joy.
If you’re planning to pop the question, The Canovas Photography would be happy to be there to chronicle your special moment and give you a beautiful engagement photo session. For photography at Epcot, in the Disney parks, or elsewhere in the Orlando area, call our photo studio to book your session.
They say that when you marry someone, you marry their family too, and it’s absolutely true! That’s why it’s so heartwarming to see when two people’s families love their future in-laws almost as much as the couple loves each other, and for Preston and Hallie, that’s certainly the case.
Preston and Hallie’s moms actually scheduled this photo session as a gift to the couple. The couple is from Dallas, and Hallie was in Florida with her mom. Preston was vacationing with his family at the Grand Floridian Resort, but Hallie had no idea he was in Florida. She was shocked in the greatest and most joyful way when Preston walked up to her out of nowhere, knelt down on one knee, and asked her to be his wife.
With the sweet couple now happily engaged, we took advantage of the Grand Floridian Resort’s stunning scenery for the rest of their engagement photoshoot. Luxurious boardwalks, stunning floral décor, antique cars, waterside strolls – it all created a magical backdrop for Preston and Hallie’s genuine joy to shine through.
Some of my favorite photos of these two are the candid shots of them simply being themselves and joking together. Hallie has the most beautiful laugh and Preston knows exactly how to make her giggle. I also loved that we could incorporate so many excited and loving family members into this photoshoot. I don’t usually have that privilege for engagement photo sessions and I was so glad that Hallie and Preston’s portraits were able to pay homage to their love of family.
The other fun standouts were the engagement portraits in front of the gloriously huge Christmas tree at the resort. I’m so glad Hallie and Preston will be able to forever remember their special day in the Christmas season…and that they had a great photo for their first Christmas as an engaged couple!
If you’d like to capture your special moment or memorialize your engagement with an engagement photo session, contact our Florida photography studio today.
John and his girlfriend are from out of state and were staying the weekend in Orlando for a little vacation. They hadn’t been to Leu Gardens but thought it’d be a great change of pace between days when they visited Disney World. It was a perfect day for a proposal and of course, she said yes! Congratulations you two!
The Harry P. Leu Gardens are semi-tropical and tropical gardens in Orlando, Florida, United States. The gardens contain nearly 50 acres of landscaped grounds and lakes, with meandering trails shaded by 200-year-old oaks and forests of camellias. They are open to the public.
Erika wrote me months ago to ask us to photograph her proposal to Amy. They had plans to go to the Orlando City v Chicago Fire soccer game. She said they have been together for almost 5 years and she wanted to take this opportunity to propose to Amy on Lake Eola at the Take Flight sculpture. Erika wrote, “This trip is a really big deal. Amy is a huge soccer fan and she will get to see her all-time favorite soccer player play. We also haven’t taken a “true” vacation in a while.
This girl is the love of my life and my best friend. I want to make this proposal very special.”
And it was – Amy was totally surprised, she said YES! and were both so happy. Congratulations Amy and Erika! We are so happy for you two xo.
When Meredith called me from South Carolina to photograph her Disney engagement photos with her fiancé Chad, I wasn’t expecting to be taking photos of Cinderella herself. Or maybe Alice in Wonderland. Either way, when we met, I knew she was just like a Disney Princess. She was graduating in a few days from Clemson University – so a big year for them. Their wedding is going to be a magical Disney wedding for sure! (read more below!) These two were so sweet together, we know all their dreams will come true <3 Congratulations Meredith and Chad!
From Meredith: We met 7 years ago when I was 15 and Chad was 17 through mutual friends. When our friend introduced us, I had a boyfriend at the time and wasn’t interested (poor Chad haha). Well a couple of months later, I was single and needed a date to our winter high school dance, so that’s when I reconnected with Chad. Our first date was really odd- we went to our local movie theater to see The Last Exorcism and then to the Sonic drive-in (we both hated their food but neither one of us wanted to say anything haha). Then we just sat in his car and talked for hours. And we’ve been together ever since that first date!!
We started talking about our wedding about a year or so ago and we knew we wanted a destination wedding because everyone in our small town gets married at the same couple of venues. This past January we decided on relatively small Disney wedding for family and close friends. I’ve been to Disney World with my family at least once or twice a year since I was 5 years old. We’ve even stayed at the same hotel for the last 15 years so Disney is definitely my second home. Chad has only been to Disney a couple of times, but I’m slowly converting him into a Disney fan 🙂 He understands my love for Disney and how much it means to me and he just wants me to be happy. I also think he is secretly becoming more excited about a Disney wedding 🙂 Our ceremony will be at the Grand Floridian Wedding Pavilion followed by a reception at the Contemporary Resort and fireworks dessert party in Epcot that evening.
Tommy called me from Seattle to ask us to photograph his Disney New Years proposal to his girlfriend Amanda. He had the whole night perfectly planned that included him on one knee in time for the fireworks over Cinderella Castle. All this took place on Disney’s Grand 1 Yacht! We had so much fun with these two and their friends that came along for the ride – Congratulations Tommy and Amanda! xo
From Tommy: I was friends with Amanda’s older sister – we all played hide-n-seek and Amanda followed me into the closet. We have been together eight years, high school sweethearts. The first time I went to Disneyland, I loved it so much that I decided to go to Disney World. That is when I found out about Grand Floridian’s Grand Yacht 1 and decided to set the standard for how guys should treat their ladies. That is why I did a Facebook live – and got over 2000 views. Lot’s of people say that we are the power couple – we both work for Boeing and just got approved for a house. Amanda is loyal, sweet and caring. She is my first love.
Kyle called me from Chicago to ask me to photograph his marriage proposal to his beautiful girl Alexa. It was Christmas Eve and their families were all there to celebrate this amazing evening! Thank you Kyle for including me in the beginning of your new lives together xo
Proposal Photography Orlando Florida | The Canovas Photography | Contact us today for more information!
I love working with Courtney Hamill of Courtney Ford Event Design. She does such great work and I was thrilled when she called me to photograph Sarah and Rewny’s proposal! Sarah loves old trucks and Courtney set up the perfect romantic atmosphere for Rewny to propose, the bed of an old Dodge truck filled with pillows, roses and champagne. It was a beautiful night with market lights lighting up Artisan Alley in historic downtown DeLand. I love shooting proposal photography – I get to be there from the start xo
Flowers by The Floral Boutique by Nature’s Home Decor
Their story in Sara’s words: Rewny and I are both from DeLand, and actually grew up around the corner from each other. However, Rewny was five years older, so I never knew him growing up, just knew of him. One of my close friends from high school, Haley, got engaged to Rewny’s brother, Nat. At the time, I was living in Jacksonville and was in my first year of law school at Florida Coastal. I went on Haley’s bachelorette cruise, where I met Rewny’s mom, Alice, and sister, Leah. After a few glasses of wine, and few days of getting to know each other, Leah and Alice suggested that Rewny and I should meet. According to Rewny, they came home from the cruise saying that he needed to meet me at the upcoming wedding. I was so nervous but also excited to meet him. After his best man speech, he came up to me introduced himself, and kissed my hand. We got to talking, and we automatically just clicked. I gave him my phone number, and the following week, we had our first date. He recently moved to Jacksonville for his job, so it was perfect. He cooked me pasta carbonara at his house, and we talked, and talked the whole night. When he walked me to my car, we had our first kiss. I remember immediately getting into the car and texting my best friend that I just had “my last first date.” Rewny has truly been my rock and best friend since the day I met him.
In September of 2013 my dad had a brain aneurysm, that left him in a coma with a long road of recovery ahead. Seeing Rewny cry beside my dad’s hospital bed was the moment I knew we would truly be together forever. Not only did he love me, he loved my family, and I wanted him to be my husband. My dad passed away in October of this year, by far the worst time in my life, yet Rewny was there every single step of the way. Before he passed, Rewny was able to ask my dad for his permission to ask me to marry him. My dad told him he would like that very much. Rewny’s birthday was the plan for the day to propose. I think he tried to think of a day that I would least expect. We were supposed to meet my mom at Dally in the Alley for dinner at 5:30. We parked on New York Avenue, and walked down the alley. There was an old red Dodge truck sitting at the end. I have this obsession with old trucks that I always talk about. I was completely clueless it was for me. Rewny said, “Wow that’s a cool truck” and I said, “Oh yeah it is, I wonder whose it is?” We got closer and he stopped in front of the truck. He began telling me how much he loved me, and that he had been lying to me about some things. When he walked me around to the bed of the truck it was decorated with candles and flowers, and I just completely lost it. He said, “I have a question I’ve been dying to ask you…Sarah Beth Zimmerman will you marry me?” At this point I was hysterically crying and said yes. There was banging on the windows from inside Dally, where my mom, sister, and Rewny’s parents were watching. We went in to Dally and had a wonderful dinner to celebrate. It was absolutely perfect, and to make it even more special, my dad was there in so many ways. I was wearing my dad’s ring that night on my wedding finger (the only finger it fit), so I had to take his ring off to put on my engagement ring. Also, Rewny was wearing one my dad’s shirts and the flowers were arranged in my dad’s old watering can. It was such a special night. Rewny is so good to me, and has already been there for me for better or for worse. I know God sent him to me at the perfect time, and I’m so excited to be his wife.
Gordon, a physician, called me from Pittsburg to talk about his proposal to beautiful Kristen, an accountant who lives in Toronto. He was so sweet, so nervous, wanted his proposal to be perfect and wanted us there to capture it. Gordon had quite the set up for his proposal to Kristen – Mickey balloons, rose petals and a beautiful engagement ring – looking over Disney World from Disney’s Contemporary Resort balcony. He even had rented a Ring Cam! It captured the whole proposal from Gordon’s point of view. We had so much fun with them and CAN NOT wait for their summer wedding in Toronto!
I asked Kristen how they met and how they got to Disney for their proposal: Gordon and I met through mutual friends, his cousin (Emily) and my best friend (Azalea) worked together and he arranged an outing with all his cousins and Emily invited Azalea who invited me and the rest was history! Gordon chose Disney World to propose because we are both huge Disney fans and our goal is to visit all the Disney resorts in the world. Disney World is the best one so he chose Orlando for the proposal. I initially thought I was going to a free family vacation paid by my mom’s company with my parents to Orlando so I was REALLY surprised when I walked into the room. From what I heard from Gordon he had been planning this Disney proposal for a very long time, endless consultations with his best friend, my best friend and our parents to pull it off.
Disney Proposal Photography provided bt The Canovas Photography.
