When Allie Schefter entered a competition to win a free photoshoot from Toronto-based Lauren Hardy Photography, she probably had no expectation of actually being chosen. When she was, she decided the best way to enjoy her prize was by having a romantic photoshoot with her boyfriend Emil Kamel. Little did she know that she wouldn’t just be taking photos, she’d be getting engaged after Emil staged a surprise proposal!
- Emil contacted the photographer to organize the surprise. While Emil told Allie he was totally on board with the couple’s photoshoot, she had no idea that he was actually up to something much bigger! Lauren Hardy tells Bolde that Emil contacted her privately after the shoot was arranged to let the photographer know his plan as well as asking for her help in keeping it a secret.
- They scouted the perfect location for Emil to pop the question. Together, Emil and Lauren went location-scouting and decided that the surprise engagement would come at the very end of an otherwise normal couple’s shoot. “We chose a spot where he could have family and friends waiting in secret in the bathrooms directly next to the location,” Hardy recalled.
- On the day of the photoshoot, things went perfectly. On the day of Allie and Emil’s photoshoot, Emil and Lauren had to pretend they didn’t know each other and had never been in contact, which was easy enough. Emil also had to sneak a videographer onto the scene so that the whole occasion could be caught on video. Thankfully, everything went off without a hitch! “This thing worked out more perfectly than I could have ever imagined,” Lauren said.
- Needless to say, it truly was a surprise engagement. As Lauren recalls, Allie was truly stunned when Emil got down on one knee — in the perfect pose for the camera to catch the money shot, of course! “After she said yes her family and friends quietly came out to surprise her and everyone celebrated with champagne,” Lauren remembered fondly. “This couldn’t have been more perfect. … I will never forget this.”
