Electric Attraction: “One More Ring”

Planning an engagement is like planning a heist. You don’t skip the details, you go over your work twice, and you keep it all a secret. You’ve got one shot, so don’t miss it!

This was the same for me. Months of planning, talking to the right people, and not mentioning any of this to my now fiancé, Nancy.

So, what was the plan? How do I make it special? How do I make it memorable? Do I want to keep it simple or am I going to complicate it with hundreds of details? To anyone that has gone through with this, I hope this brings you memories of excitement. And, for anyone new to this, feel free to take notes.

Nancy and I had talked about weddings and marriage in the past and where we saw ourselves in the future. We both wanted the same thing, and I knew I had to start planning. We’d been dating for a few years and the stars were aligning. There were a few details that she mentioned that I have always kept in mind. For anyone in a similar situation, pay close attention to the hints. You’ll hear your partner mention details or things they might want. For us, Nancy mentioned that she would want it to be more private and that if I can, make sure her hair, nails, makeup, and outfit were all done and ready.

I had a few plans in the works and they always ended up sounding too obvious. “Hey let’s randomly go to this fancy restaurant but make sure your hair, makeup, and outfit are all done,” would have been a dead giveaway.

By trade, I’m an automotive photographer and chances are you have probably seen and read my work in this magazine. Going with that narrative, Nancy had been the subject of a Type7 (Online Porsche Publication) feature sometime back where I was the photographer. This gave me the idea of utilizing a photoshoot as a ruse to deliver the proposal. It works out because for a photoshoot you want to look your best… and this is where I really began to scheme.

I reasoned it would be natural if I had another car photoshoot and wanted to use Nancy as the model. After all, she’s the prettiest girl I know! Also, it would not seem random or out of the blue because we have done this in the past. For the location, I went with Point Mugu in Malibu, CA off of the Pacific Coast Highway. The reason? We took our first picture together around that area. It only felt right to bring it all back to that spot

So, I had a concept, I had a location, I had a “model”… I just needed a car for this “photoshoot” I was organizing. This was the main piece to the puzzle and I’m so grateful Audi of America filled in that spot. I reached out to the PR team at Audi of America and told them my plan. Their answer was “Always happy to support love.” I was set!

I got a list of cars I could pick from, and I went with the RS e-tron GT in Tactical Green. Being a journalist for anexclusively Audi publication had paid off and I’m so grateful and thankful to Mark Dahncke and everyone at Audi whomade this happen. For those that have known me for the 12+ years of my automotive career, know that I have a lot of love for the Audi brand. It’s due to my Audi passion that I have a career in this industry and have met hundreds of wonderful people.

So why the RS e-tron GT? Well to me it represents the future. It represents the future of Audi and now it could represent my future with Nancy. As an automotive photographer, I also think it’s one of the best-looking cars Audi has ever made. It’s elegant, classy, original, all details that remind me of Nancy.

Everything was set. We had a date, I had the car, I told Nancy I need her to model for a photoshoot. She was down. We even went to get pedicures together beforehand.

I reached out to my good friend and fellow photographer Akiko Liu to ask if she could literally hide behind the rocks to capture our special moment. Thanks to her, you are looking at these beautiful photos!

 Nancy and I drove out to Malibu and parked along the coast. We got there just in time for sunset, and I knew the photos were going to be great. I began by taking some photos of her in and around the car. While doing that I was texting Akiko making sure we were all set for the big moment. My key words were “when I move her to the front of the car and have her face the ocean and go to the trunk to “swap” lenses aka grab the ring, that’s when I’m going to ask”.

And that’s exactly what happened. I had a whole speech ready, but I honestly didn’t remember any of it. All I know was that she said “yes” and that this was the happiest moment of my life. And I’m so glad I can share it with you. By that time I asked, Akiko had ran over and begun taking more photos. Nancy was a bit shaky from the surprise but we both had tears of joy on our faces. This was our moment.

Completing the “photoshoot”, we headed out to an Italian restaurant near the Malibu Country Mart. I plugged the e-tron in at Electrify America to get some extra miles for the ride home. Months of planning and going over details lead to one special moment that Nancy and I will treasure forever.

Nancy, if you are reading this, and I know you read my articles, I’m so excited for our future together. I love you very much and I’m looking forward to building our lives together and calling you my wife. Here’s to us!