John + Blaine

John and Blaine really couldn’t have picked a better week to visit wine country.

John reached out to me to photograph his proposal a couple weeks prior to their visit to Napa Valley from Maryland. He told me they had a reservation at The French Laundry and wanted to pop the question before dinner. If you haven’t heard of The French Laundry, it’s an upscale restaurant in Yountville with a nine-course tasting menu – it’s lovely and everyone walks away happy. Right across the street is The French Laundry Gardens. I had wanted to shoot there for a while because I heard it was beautiful but had never gotten around to it, so I was very excited that I was given an opportunity! I stopped by the week before the proposal to scope it out and make a game plan. This was during a heat wave and the Hennessey Fire and the sky was straight orange… while it made for a beautiful sunset, it wasn’t quite the vibe for a proposal but all we could do was hope for the best.

As the next week rolled around, the skies cleared up just in time for John and Blaine’s visit to Napa. The weather was perfect and John couldn’t have picked a better spot to propose. I had told him where to walk to for the perfect spot where they would be framed perfectly by flowers and trees. I hid in my car with my cameras ready to go while I waited for them to arrive and made lots of weird eye contact with people passing by – it’s all part of the fun, right???

Blaine’s reaction was so cute – she covered her face with her hands and dropped to the ground in happiness. I was so excited TO FINALLY MEET THEM! They’re such a fun couple, I couldn’t wait to shoot with them later. We were supposed to shoot after their reservation at The French Laundry but it was too dark by the time they finished dinner so we rescheduled to that Saturday morning, which just meant I got to have even more fun with them!

I helped them pick out outfits to wear and drove them to one of my favorite spots in Yountville. We popped some champagne and laughed SO MUCH. Seriously, John and Blaine were so much fun and I can’t wait for their wedding next year!

Photographer: @rebeccaskidgelphoto

Restaurant: @_tfl_