A Surprise Proposal at the Spanish Steps in Washington DC | Ryan and Melanie

If you know me, I am a huge sucker for big romantic gestures and this may have been the biggest romantic gesture I have ever seen for a surprise proposal. Ryan really pulled all the stops here for Melanie. Melanie was in Washington DC for a work trip and to visit some of her closest friends. Ryan and Melanie had recently moved to Seattle and Ryan told me that it was really important to Melanie to have their friends present when he proposed. They have a really tight knit friend group comprised of friends since they were in grade school to friends all the way up to college. Ryan took a red eye flight from Seattle to New Jersey. Two of their friends picked him up and drove him all the way down to Washington DC while some of their other friends hung out with Melanie for the day and got her to the proposal location at the Spanish Steps (and kept this whole plan under wraps in the process). What can I saw? Surprise proposals take a village!

Melanie was TOTALLY surprised and so overcome with emotion when she saw Ryan. When he popped the question, she had some of the best facial expressions EVER (the joy on her face was priceless… scroll down to see a moment by moment capture)! One of my favorite parts of the proposal was that Ryan made a custom 3D printed Ring Pop box to hold the ring in. How crafty and unique right? Melanie said yes of course and all their close friends were there to congratulate them! The Spanish Steps (located in the Kalorama neighborhood) in my experience have usually not been a super crowded spot in Georgetown but literally moments before the proposal a huge crowd appeared (which Melanie and Ryan’s friends kept from walking in front of the photos…. bless them! <3 ) and they got to witness the proposal too! It was such an epic moment.

After the proposal, we walked around the area and took photos. We did some couples portraits of just Melanie and Ryan along with a bunch of group photos with their friends. Once they finished photos, they headed to Equinox (one of my favorite DC restaurants) to celebrate! I had so much fun hanging out with all of them and helping them celebrate this monumental moment! Congratulations Melanie and Ryan!

Looking for a surprise proposal photographer? Check out my website and contact me here so you can learn more and we can start planning to celebrate you! Planning a surprise proposal? Check out my blog post on Tips for Planning the Perfect Surprise Proposal!