Hi Everyone!

I have such a fun story to share with you all today! Just in time for the romantic weekend ahead, it's sure towarm the heart for Valentine's Day.

Last month, I was contactedby a client, Don Wilcox, about creating something very _VERY_special for him and his girlfriend, Nicole. You see, the two of them have been together for quite some time and he was ready to propose.Inspired to make this day perfect,Don's idea was to incorporate work from their favorite photographer..which you guessed it, happens to be me.

Immediately flattered and inspired, things moved along quickly with Don and the resulting image, MARRY ME?ended up playing a pivotal role intheir proposal story.

Don, I'll let you take it away...

"We have been fans of Gray’s work for years, starting our collection the year that we moved to LA. We both take a lot of pride in our home and are always on the lookout for cool pieces that we’ll be able to keep forever. Our first purchase from Gray was one of his classic beach scenes and we’ve since added several more. When Nicole surprised me with the “I AM BUSY” print, I was inspired to incorporate our shared love of Gray’s work into my wedding proposal. I reached out to Gray to ask if it’d be possible to shoot something with the phrase MARRY ME, thinking that I was really setting myself up for disappointment given the demand for his work. But, sure enough, Gray responded and told me how much he loved the idea and that he could shoot it 2 short weeks later...

I was able to curate the entire proposal around the print – which turned out absolutely perfect, I should mention.I decided to recreate the photo in person at our favorite celebration spot, Mr. Chow. Fast forward a few weeks…she said YES!"

Before Nicole even got through the door, Don dropped to one knee, and the rest was as story book as the pictures depict.

She said yes! Hooray!

Chatting with them afterwards, I was dying to hear all of the details. One of my first questions to Don was - What was going through your mind as the moment rapidly approached?

"I remember pulling up to the restaurant with intense pain in my stomach, hoping that all of the work that I had put into this surprise would play out without any problems. Nicole and I spend all of our time together, so pulling everything off without her knowing was a HUGE feat. I also remember being absolutely speechless as I got down on one knee - fortunately the balloons and the print “said” it all for me."

Mirroring Don's sentiments, Nicole had this to say about the shock of it all...

"Honestly, the fact that Don was able to pull it off is really impressive. He has the hardest time keeping surprises from me and there were so many fine details to the event that I really can’t believe it! We have been dating for several years and grown so much in our time together that I was absolutely overcome with emotion when I realized what was going on. He always goes above and beyond to take care of me, but he totally outdid himself. Seeing the print was the icing on the cake – our shared admiration for Gray’s work is even greater now than before. "

Up next! I was invited to come by their home to see the rest of their Gray Malin work, which as you all know, I love to see how people decorate with their prints.

Up & Away is definitely a special series for them, so I couldn't be happier to have created something so relevant to their shared space.

When asked where they were going to put their latest addition, Nicole was ready with her answer..

"In the living room – it tells such a special story that I want everyone to walk in to our home and ask about it. "

Haha! Aww, I love it.But in all seriousness, thank you both for letting me play such a meaningful role in your proposal story. It was such a joy! And, thank you all for following along as always. I hope you've enjoyed this love filled story as much as I have.

xx

GM