Zaron & Aarya’s Engagement.
The Inquiry.
“Keep this on the down-low, but I’ve been trying to plan a surprise proposal.” - Z
Were first words I got from Zaron, a friend who I met at university and have the privilege of knowing now for the past decade (wow, time flies).
Zaron had a plan to propose, and his plan was to do it in a week’s time, so we hopped on a video call and bounced some ideas as to what it was his ‘ideal’ proposal would look like. An idea that he was really attached to was that he wanted to propose at the beach. But his requirements for the beach were: sunset, intimate, serene, unique, and a place that holds meaning. There are a few problems with beach proposals:
The first problem with beach proposals are that they’re public spaces, so it would be hard to get really intimate, especially during sunset at this time of the year.
The second problem with a beach proposal is that Melbourne doesn’t have nice beaches (in my humble opinion), unless you venture out a bit to Phillip Island or the likes.
The third problem with a beach proposal is that you can only shape it so many different ways before it all looks the same, and therefore not unique - I’m talking, white cushions, flowers, and candles.
The final problem was that in my years of knowing Zaron he didn’t really strike me as a ‘beach guy’. Sounds weird to say, but it’ll make sense…
Perfect Dumbasses.
Sure, you' like the beach, but let’s try and think of one other idea and keep the beach as a solid Plan B.
“Where did you have your first date?” - A
“Arbory Float in the city.” - Z
“Dude, why don’t you do something by the Yarra River, like a boat or something?” - A
“Broo…” -Z
And it clicked. From here we started to bounce ideas of how we could do it - do I follow the boat on foot and shoot from the park, or do I ride in the boat with you guys, or do I get my own boat and shoot you commando style? Zaron had the funny idea of bringing a fake ring box, and pretending to drop it into the river during his proposal, because as he described his relationship with Aarya - “We’re like perfect dumbasses.”
To not get ahead of ourselves, Zaron took a few days to sleep on the idea and weigh it against the beach proposal.
The Plan.
“I’ve booked you a boat, you’re going to leave at 6:45pm, and I’ll get on mine at 7:00pm” - Z
The day of, I had to rush to the shops to prepare some details for Zaron: grazing platter, flowers, champagne. The plan was to give this to the newly engaged couple as a care package; HEIRLOOM’s very own Uber Boat Delivery service.
…I took the train into the city and the amount of stares I got on my journey, you could swear it was my engagement. We had planned a route along the Yarra River to stage the proposal, to ensure I can get Melbourne’s beautiful skyline in the background. The weather was immaculate, and being a week day meant the river itself was very intimate, without only four other vessels on the river during the beautiful sunset. Zaron could not have picked a better day for his proposal.
Zaron and Aarya had dinner at the Arbory float, the place of their first date, which was a full circle moment. After dinner they would walk along the river to their boat cruise.
I board my GoBoat and off I go at a whopping 5km/h. Now it was time to wait for Zaron’s boat to arrive, so I could capture the engagement. I see Zaron coming down stream and I’m not sure if he sees me, or if he’s signalling me - I also don’t want to blow my cover. So I swing my boat around and just get behind the couple to ensure I can capture the once in a lifetime moment.
The Proposal.
I see the obligatory knee drop, and we’re in business! I bring my boat around, ensuring I maintain space to give them their moment, while also capturing it.
I’m the only one on my boat, so I’m steering the boat ensuring I don’t get too close to the shore, all while trying to capture their perfect moment and not to crash into them.
With a million and one things going through my mind, I don’t even know if the photos are going to turn out good, I just need to ensure I capture the ‘real’ moment before we can do a fun shoot.
Aarya says “yes” and we’ve now got a happily engaged couple!
The Sunset.
After the proposal I drop off the care package of flowers, grazing platter and champagne - and Aarya’s face was priceless when she realised there was more than just the ring!
They popped the champagne to mark this momentous moment and soaked up the euphoria that came with it.
The joy both Zaron and Aarya had was so infectious that it had me smiling from cheek to cheek. Not only that, but people from the bridge were cheering them on! Fellow patrons of Arbory float who had recognised them from earlier were congratulating them from the restaurant by the water.
They were the main characters on this day, we were all just witnesses.
They sailed off into the sunset, and I was behind them snapping away - taking some of my favourite photos to date.
Everything Zaron had wanted in his proposal came true: sunset, intimate, meaningful, unique.
Disembark.
The kind staff at GoBoat allowed us a few extra minutes for our journey (we had only booked an hour). We disembarked and the shoot was not yet over.
I congratulate them properly and take some more pictures (on land this time) with the sunset in the background.
Here’s an HEIRLOOM tip for a sunset proposal: you want to propose before the sunset, so you have time for photos during the sunset. Otherwise once the sun is gone, it’s gone - no light, no photos!
We do a quick city walk and take some editorial style shots to add some flair to the moment all while talking about everything that’s transpired that’s led to this moment.
Zaron had another surprise booked for Aarya, so with that we part ways.
Congratulations once again Zaron and Aarya, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future! It was an honour to create your heirlooms.
- Anthony
