I can’t even begin to explain how special this proposal was to shoot! My mom, dad, and I were headed down to The Woodlands to surprise Andrew’s mom’s for her retirement party and the second Andrew found out we were coming, he texted me. “Hey Brett!! Long time no talk!! How long are you staying for?” without him even mentioning the proposal… I KNEW what he was going to say next! He told me he was proposing to his girlfriend and wanted to know if I could capture it. All I said was “HECK YES!” – A little back story, I’ve known Andrew and his family my entire life! His parents and my parents have been friends for over THIRTY years! For a few years my mom and sisters and I would come to see Andrew sing and perform with his music group, Savvy. I used to take photos at their shows when we went! So after all that time, to be in Texas celebrating BOTH the retirement and the proposal was so special to be apart of. I was lucky enough to have met Rainey in 2012 when we came down to Texas to celebrate New Year’s! She’s one of the sweetest girls I’ve ever met. She’s the kind of person that you feel like you’ve known for your whole life and have a million inside jokes after just one weekend. She and Andrew fit perfectly together.
Now on to how Rainey and Andrew met! It’s a pretty funny story! They met in their FIRST GRADE class but after Andrew moved schools they didn’t reconnect until junior high. “We “dated” in junior high aka hung out twice… One time our parents dropped us off at the movies and we went on a double date. We saw The Grudge and at the end of the movie we kissed!”- Rainey They were each other’s first kiss!! So CUTE! But then a little bit after that Andrew ended up breaking up with her! Rainey jokingly says, “he obviously wasn’t ready for me to be his wife just yet!”
Through the next year they only saw each other every once in a while at church but then Andrew moved to Michigan when he was filming a TV show, The Wannabes, for STARZ kids then the band Andrew was in, Savvy, was touring and later signed by Cash Money Records. After that, it was pretty much SEVEN years since they had spoken!! Get this – it’s SO funny – Rainey was home from college and saw Andrew while shopping in Urban Outfitters. “I hid behind a rack of clothes! I definitely didn’t want to see my first kiss and the kid who broke up with me!” HAHA! She snuck out before he saw her but later that week connected with him on Twitter and he asked her out on a date…. and the rest is history!!!
Andrew’s whole proposal set-up is what any girl anywhere should be swooning over. He asked his neighbor’s if he could use their beautiful backyard and they helped make it perfect! I scoped out the location with him the day before so we could make sure where he should stand and where I should be! I hid in the treehouse with a perfect view of the dock.
On the day of the proposal, everyone did their part in making sure things were “normal” for Rainey. Her best friend took her shopping all day while we all prepared the proposal spot, and then when it was time to leave for “dinner” Andrew’s dad told him that he needed a “tool” from the neighbor’s house. Andrew said he was nervous for Rainey to see the spot when they drove up the driveway so he made her watch a YouTube video and then backed in the driveway so she would be facing the opposite way, just in case! “Did you see how fast I backed in the driveway? I was SO nervous!” – Andrew
The dock was sprinkled with pale and hot pink rose petals and glitter that looked like snow!Some of Andrew’s friends from church made the adorable “a&r” sign!I patiently waited for the barn door to open… and BAM! There were candles, rose petals, trees, lanterns, a beautiful wooden sign, a fire in the fire pit, and the most beautiful light at sunset. SERIOUSLY, ANDREW? It was perfect!! “I knew immediately in that moment what was going on and immediately started crying.”
I waited for them to have a moment alone and then screamed “YAY!” when Andrew pointed me out in the treehouse. When I walked onto the dock I hugged them both and asked Andrew how he felt… he sighed with relief! “I don’t even remember what I said. My mouth was SO dry. All I know is that she said YES!”