Surprise Proposal in Durham, NC

In the golden hour light, Sarah Martin, a partner at Fancy This Photography, captured a surprise proposal in Durham, NC. It was Saturday, February 18 and the weather was perfect. Deanna White thought she was going on a Valentine’s Day date with her boyfriend John Donnelly when she found herself in a familiar downtown Durham parking deck. This spot held sentimental value for the couple, having been the backdrop to many serious conversations and shared sunsets. John, aware of Deanna's love for surprises, suggested a detour to the rooftop to catch the sunset before dinner.

As the elevator doors opened, Deanna was greeted by a romantic rooftop picnic—flowers, candles, champagne, and a visual timeline of their journey together. Against the backdrop of a downtown Durham skyline, bathed in the setting sunlight, John asked a life-changing question.

Round of applause for John's creative rooftop parking deck picnic proposal. Every detail, from the pillows to the charcuterie, reflects John’s thoughtful planning. In the background, Sarah quietly worked her magic. She operated incognito, documenting the moment as the couple celebrated their engagement.

One of Deanna’s best friends recommended Fancy This Photography to John. We understand the importance of preserving memories and felt honored to capture this commitment on camera. Sarah photographed this surprise proposal in Durham, NC on a Sony A7 III and an A7R III with a 24-70mm and 70-200mm lens.

These photos served a dual purpose for John and Deanna—they recorded the proposal and made sweet engagement announcement photos!

“We really appreciate Sarah's background in photojournalism and how she leverages that to ensure she is capturing the authenticity of moments as they happen,” John says.

Surprise Proposal Photography

Surprise proposals are sudden. Many couples describe feeling like they've momentarily "blacked out," struggling to recall the words of that life-changing moment. It's in these moments that a professional photographer is a friend. Fancy This Photography is ready and honored to preserve your unique proposal story.

Sarah Martin, a partner of Fancy This Photography, was moved by the emotions John and Deanna shared during their surprise proposal in Durham, NC. The couple was alone in that moment, their focus consumed by their love for each other.

Sarah notes, “Typically both people are nervous, excited and overwhelmed with emotion all at once, so there was no room for either to focus on being photographed or even notice that I was there at all. The energy of excitement just carries through the rest of the evening and really shows in the images compared to a typical engagement session.”

The result is a collection of images that capture the essence of the proposal – genuine excitement and joy. Our passion at Fancy This Photography lies in helping couples like John and Deanna document big moments.

Meet The Couple: John & Deanna

Q: Where are y’all from?
A: Deanna was born in Staten Island, New York and moved to New Jersey when she was in middle school. John is from Greensboro, North Carolina.

Q: Do you have any pets?
A: We have two adorable pit bull mixes (both rescues) named Savannah (3) and Miller (7). We hope for both of them to be able to go down the wedding aisle!

Q: How did you first meet and start dating?
A: We were both early employees of a successful local tech startup called ArchiveSocial and met there on the sales floor! It took over two years of being coworkers on the same team before we started dating in July of 2019.

Use Your Surprise Proposal Photos as Engagement Photos

Engagement photos represent the start of a lifetime together. It's no wonder that surprise proposals often double as engagement photos. These images are a reminder of the joy and adrenaline of the proposal, filling your engagement announcement photos with romantic and authentic vibes.

According to Sarah, surprise proposal photos are magical because they encapsulate raw emotion that cannot be replicated. "That embodies what a photograph is meant to do in my opinion," she adds.

John and Deanna, appreciating the emotional essence of their surprise proposal photos, made the decision to let these moments also serve as their official engagement photos. "We believe that there would be no way for us to try and duplicate the emotions and feelings we had during the moment itself," John explains.

These location choices add more meaning to the photos. The top of the downtown Durham parking garage, where the surprise proposal unfolded, held sentimental value for John and Deanna. It was a place where they shared countless moments watching sunsets and engaging in meaningful conversations. Other iconic Durham locations, including Alley Twenty Six, The Durham Hotel, and "Major" the Durham bull bronze sculpture, were perfect backdrops for this local love story. The photo taken in front of the ArchiveSocial sign held a special place in their hearts as it marked the spot where their love story began.

These surprise proposal and engagement photos immortalize the joy of the proposal but also connect memories, each location supporting John and Deanna's love story.

Sentimental Surprise Proposal in Durham, NC

John and Deanna’s amazing energy was absolutely infectious. We loved the parking deck rooftop picnic setup. John added so many unique personalized details to the picnic setup, you can really get a glimpse of their story as a couple.

Sarah photographed the couple candidly as they reminisced on shared memories and talked about the future. It’s obvious that a lot of thought and love was put into this surprise proposal in Durham, NC and no detail was lost on Deanna.

If you are planning a surprise proposal, Fancy This Photography would love to be there to help you capture the moment!

John and Deanna are getting married on May 4, 2024 at the Haw River Ballroom in Saxapahaw, NC. This non-traditional wedding venue honors the couple’s love of music and nature. With most of the (big) wedding planning items completed, John and Deanna are feeling relieved and excited.

“We can't wait for Sarah to capture our wedding day,” John says.

Congratulations John and Deanna! We were honored to help you capture this life-changing moment. If you or someone you know is planning a surprise proposal, Fancy This Photography would love to photograph it! Whether it’s a surprise proposal in Durham, NC or the Bahamas, we’d love to be there. Click here to reach out.

Siera & Michael

A Durham, NC Engagement session

I met Siera earlier this year at the Durham Food Hall bridal showcase. It was a fun day filled with so many couples coming by to check out the cool Durham space, but I also had the chance to meet so many engaged people! Siera was one of those people, and I am so happy that we met!

She and Michael are coined Durham-ites now; theyve been living in this city for over 3 years. Which, to me, means youre an official local. Siera and Michael wanted to do something fun, like check out some of the breweries downtown and really just take in the ambiance of a bustling city. We did just that. We started their session at Cocoa Cinnamon on Geer Street. Then, we popped over near Motorco, and then the hidden mural area right down the street. After a quick outfit change, we headed downtown and stopped at the exact place where Michael proposed. Talk about romantic. Their engagement session ended on the parking deck overlook the American Tobacco Campus.

It was a day well spent. Their laughs are contagious, and I can only hope you feel as happy looking at these as I was being there to document them.

Leslie and Jean were my kind of people. They enjoy the rain, which worked out in our favor for their engagement session, and liked images that were a tad bit off the cuff. We met right as the sun was tired at one of their favorite hole in the walls—Bar Virgile. After a drink or two there, we waited for the rain to stop momentarily and then bolted to the parking deck right beside Bar Virgile.

The parking deck is kind of like my secret hiding spot. It’s fun to go there at night and watch the fireworks after the Durham Bulls play. However, for photos it is absolutely gorgeous because you can see downtown Durham, the American Tobacco Campus, and the fun neon bull sign that welcomes everyone to the city. I loved that Leslie and Jean were up for this—they love Durham as much as I do.

We capped the night off at Motorco. This little area is one of MY favorites because it is full of color and those twinkly street lights. We finished just in time before the next batch of rain came.

Enjoy!

**To view more photos of a downtown Durham engagement session at Motorco, make sure you check our Marina & Dustin’s session! It can be found HERE.