A Beautiful Surprise Proposal

Crystal Torres

August 11, 2022

Hey Friends!

So I haven’t blogged anything since late May, but that’s because I am in the middle of one of my busiest wedding seasons yet. I was very fortunate to be asked to photograph a beautiful surprise proposal to kick off my wedding season! Sergio reached out to me with his plans to propose at the Storm King Art Center. It was such an exciting moment and I was so honored to be able to capture this beautiful milestone for Sergio and Mareena. Keep reading to learn more about this special day and wonderful couple. Sergio and Mareena, cheers to an amazing new chapter!

How/ where did you meet?

We met in an elevator in New York City. Yes, an ELEVATOR. Sergio always jokes that he had the best elevator pitch of all time, and I think he’s right.

What made you sure that you wanted to get married?

Two months after we first started dating in 2017 we flew to Canada and did a cross country road trip. During one long driving stretch (13 hours) the radio stopped working and we didn’t have service. We talked, laughed, hummed, sang, drove in silence, BUT the point is we clicked. It never felt empty. It was our first trip together, driving in a foreign place but I felt at home. We were both so happy in each others presence and it was then I first started thinking that he could be the one. A few years later, we moved to San Francisco, California – a dream we both had before dating so we decided to go after it together. We didn’t have any friends or family and moving from NYC to California was a big deal. We would embark on road trips all over the California Coast almost every weekend. Just like in Canada, we would often lose service on the Pacific Coast Highway. It was in these simple moments, I knew I wanted to marry Sergio. No matter where we went, we had each other. We didn’t need to say anything. We didn’t need to have a plan. We didn’t need anything else.

How did he propose?

Let’s just say this man did A LOT of planning. He hit me with a surprise 5 day trip and asked me to pack a bag on a Tuesday night for an adventure happening the next day (Wednesday May 25th, 2022). I had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. As I watched him pack up the olive green Jeep (our favorite) with new picnic supplies and my favorite natural wine/provisions – I thought, “maybe we’re going camping?”, a favorite past time from California. As we left the city and drove to Hudson Valley, we ended up at Storm King. As we pulled up, something in my head said “if he asks the ranger about the mirror fence, he’s going to propose.” Sure enough Sergio asked where the mirror fence and my intuition was excited/anxious/curious/confused. The mirror fence is a special place to us, a place we went on one of our first dates and again with Sergio’s parents. The weather was one you read about in a love novel, a true perfect 75 and sunny day. Not to mention, considering it was a Wednesday, it felt like Sergio had rented out the 500-acre outdoor museum just for us. We were both buzzing with love. As we approached the mirror fence we see a cute family of 4 taking pictures and enjoying the day. We place our picnic goods under a tree and Sergio asks me to go for a walk. Next thing I know he’s down on a one knee and the “family” was Crys, her husband, and kiddos! Crys was there to capture the moment, and I had no freaking clue. That moment was the best feeling I’ve ever felt. True love. The next 5 days were filled with surprises too, but I’ll spare the audience with those deets.

What are some of your favorite memories from your special day?

The details. Sergio went above and beyond to make everything so special. It was the big moments like revealing the ring he designed himself down to the small, thoughtful moments where he unpacked a white Hydro Flask for his bride, to pour the natural wine he bought us. I think laying on a blanket in the massive green grounds, hands locked, and a permanent grin on both our faces as we looked at the blue sky is the purest definition of love.