On Friday, I got a DM through my Instagram, asking if I was free on Sunday to shoot a very special surprise. Ibrahim was planning on proposing to his girlfriend Mel and wanted me to capture it. As stressful as they can be, I love a proposal shoot! So naturally, I said hell yes. Keep reading to see how it went!
As You Like It venue in Jesmond
As You Like It is actually a Newcastle wedding venue, as well as being a bar and restaurant. It’s part of the Apartment Group who own a ton of other wedding venues around the north east. It’s super cool, with a luxury tropical feel and quirky decor. As a restaurant, it’s spread over 3 floors with lots of nice booths and even has a private dining room. This is what Ibrahim had booked for his anniversary dinner with Mel. That was the cover anyway…
The private dining room is lovely, but poses problems as a proposal photographer! As You Like It is generally quite a dark venue so it’s the kind of place I would normally have flash. That was out of the question as I needed to be on the down low. There’s also nowhere I could hide in a private dining room!
I arrived super early to scope out the room, chat to the staff and have a plan. I ended up hiding in plain sight at the bar that looks across to the dining room. I felt like a total creep but I had a great vantage point so just pretended to be on my phone there while keeping an eye on the goings on. There was a cue I needed to watch for! The staff would bring in an anniversary dessert, and Ibrahim would then get down on one knee.
The proposal
It was probably the most stressful half hour of my life waiting for it to happen! As soon as the dessert went in, I quickly ran to hide ride behind the door so I could hear the proposal start. Luckily, everything went perfectly, and Mel had an amazing surprise!
Ibrahim got down on one knee and I shot through bleary eyes as it was a really lovely moment! Proposals are obviously a huge shock so I always like to give my couples a few moments by themselves after. It’s one thing being your favourite third wheel, but these are the kinds of moments you should spend just together.
Newcastle engagement photography in As You Like It
After taking a moment, we did a few shots around As You Like It, before the gorgeous now fiances had a celebratory dinner. A huge congratulations to Ibrahim and Mel from me! What a lovely way to spend a Sunday night!
If you’re looking for someone who can capture your proposal or engagement, drop me a message 🙂 I absolutely love doing engagement photography around Newcastle!
