Surprise Proposal in New Orleans || Audubon Zoo, New Orleans Louisiana

Here’s another super-secret-surprise-proposal that you don’t want to miss. I (Jon) have been fortunate enough to know this couple for quite a few years. When Vince contacted me about my early June availability, I knew something special was going down… and this time, it was taking place in New Orleans, LA.

Jen + a girlfriend had been on a 5-day cruise prior to our Wednesday arrival. In collaboration with her friend, we flew in Wednesday afternoon, checked into our hotel, and spent the day exploring this charming city. The last time us guys were in NOLA, we were doing Hurricane Katrina relief work, and it was a completely different city.

Come Thursday morning, we took the public trolley to the Audubon Zoo and camped out a few hours early. The ladies’ cruise ship docked earlier that morning, so we wanted to be there first to gather our bearings. We waited, and waited.. and waited some more. Through my telephoto lens, I eventually spotted them walking our way… with Jen unknowingly walking into a big surprise. When she set her eyes on Vince, she exclaimed, “What the…. what are you doing here?” They hugged, chatted, and eventually, she said, “Yes!” (special mention needs to go to Vince for using a Star Wars themed moleskine calendar book, with hand-punched spacing in the book for the engagement ring)

After taking a break from all the excitement, we grabbed lunch at a great little luncheonette called The Camellia Grill. Hearty food, entertaining staff, and a no-frills, “did-we-just-travel-back-in-time?” lunch experience were had by all. If you haven’t been there before, go. It’s what a diner should be, and we can say that because we’re all from New Jersey.

We returned to the Audubon Zoo, where Vince + Jen joined me for an impromptu engagement session. We climbed up trees, passed a swamp monster, spent a few minutes in the Hurricane Simulator (thank you Jen for obliging), all before the zoo closed its doors. We split up for our dinner plans, and reunited over a famous order of beignets at Cafe duMonde. We polished off our night at the phenomenal Pat O’Brien’s— my first ever experience with duelling pianos. The only downside to our day was when it ended.

Congratulations once again to our friends Vince + Jen! Thank you for allowing Dreamlite Photography to be a part of your surprise engagement.

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