Our Story

It was a cold winter evening in Fayetteville, North Carolina. I had driven down from Richmond after shooting a wedding to spend time with Cameron. We had a New Year’s Eve tradition of dinner an a movie. There’s a sweet art theater called the Cameo in downtown Fayetteville that we would always go to. Every movie we’ve seen there has had an unexpected and odd twist, but that’s what makes it fun.

I had spent an hour or two getting ready for our date night. Putting on extra makeup, the perfect outfit, and making sure I had the perfect jewelry to fit the look I was going for. I had a feeling something special would be happening. This could have had something to do with the fact that on New Years Day of 2018, Cameron told me “this will be our year” to keep me from crying as I pulled out of his driveway. (Cameron and I aren’t good with secrets and surprises…)

I put on the final touches before telling Cameron I was ready to go. We said goodbye to his parents and hopped in the car. It felt like any other New Years, but with a side of butterflies. Cameron drove us to the Cameo and we parked where we always do. If anything was going to happen, I didn’t expect it until later in the evening. We ordered our tickets and some snacks before walking into the theater.

We sat down, and Cameron went to the bathroom. While he was gone, I moved our coats to the seat next to me so they wouldn’t be in the way. When he came back, he panicked, not knowing where his coat was. I assured him that it was safe next to me. I wasn’t quite sure why he panicked.

As usual, I dozed off during the movie. The movie we were watching was a history movie that I wasn’t really into, so I secretly was hoping it would be ending when I woke up. I looked at my phone and whispered to Cameron, “There’s still 45 minutes left in the movie.” He paused and leaned over and said, “I’m going to the bathroom.” I thought that was a rather odd response to what I said, but I let it go. Ten minutes later he came back from the bathroom. I asked if he was okay, and he responded with a simple “yes”. Things seemed fishy, but I still wasn’t expecting anything then.

The movie ended (finally) and we began to walk out. Before we left the theater, Cameron said he needed to go to the bathroom again. I was truly worried that he wasn’t feeling well after spending so much time in the bathroom. Little did I know that he was communicating with our friends, family, and the photographer the whole time! When he came out, I told him that I wanted to take a photo of the building before leaving. We walked outside and I took the photo. Afterwards I turned to Cameron and said, “Alright! Are you ready to go eat?”

Cameron looked at me and said, “no” with a grin on his face. Tears filled his eyes as he wrapped his arms around me. It was then that I heard the camera shutter clicking behind me. This was it. This was the moment I had dreamed of since falling in love with Cameron in 2015. This was the moment I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. The man of my dreams was going to propose to me. Tears filled my eyes as Cameron told me how much he loved me and how he couldn’t wait to spend forever with me. Before I knew it, Cameron was down on one knee. With tears in both of our eyes and smiles on our faces, Cameron asked the most anticipated question—”Taylor, will you marry me?” Through my shaky voice and tear filled eyes, I said “yes”.

I looked down at my ring finger to see the beautiful ring we had looked at together. Only this time, it was mine and it looked more beautiful than I remembered. I felt like the only girl in the world.

I turned around to see my second shooter, Harli, photographing the moment that would mean so much to Cameron and I. She hugged us and congratulated us. I couldn’t believe it—I was engaged! We walked down the street and snapped some photos to remember this special moment.

On the way to dinner, we notified our family, and decided to keep it within that circle for a few hours, until dinner was over. We showed up at the restaurant where Cameron had made reservations. I was surprised to find Cameron’s parents, aunt and uncle, and nana there to celebrate with us.

After dinner, Cameron treated me to dessert (my sweet tooth is the real deal). We were in the drive thru line for Krispy Kreme when I posted about our engagement. We were overwhelmed with support from friends near and far.

I am so excited to spend forever with my best friend. We’re 199 days away from becoming husband and wife. Excited is an understatement.