Clayton couple enjoys picture perfect proposal
CLAYTON (WTVD) -- After dating for eight years, Aaron Lanphere of Clayton knew he wanted to make his proposal to his girlfriend, Jessica Bellamy, extra special.
"I guess I just wanted to go big because it's not something that you'd expect from me, and I wanted it to be big for her," he explained.
So, he contacted Raleigh Photographer Lundie McComas to set up a fake photoshoot for Jessica's birthday, something she'd been trying to get him to do with her for some time.
"I honestly came out here just thinking we were going to have a nice photo shoot," she recalled with a laugh.
While Lundie was snapping pictures of the couple, Jessica's family was on their way in a limo, per Aaron's plans. But then, his plans started to go awry. Heavy rains forced them to change locations to inside Lundie's barn.
Then, the limo that was supposed to arrive promptly at 4 was late.
"At 4:30 they weren't here. At 4:45, not here. At 5, they're not here," Lundie explained. "So I told Jessica, I said, 'I'm going to run back to the house, I'm going to change lenses.' I wasn't coming back, I couldn't take anymore pictures! I couldn't think what else to do!"
That's when Lundie learned the limo couldn't turn onto the narrow driveway. So, instead she had it stop on the road, temporarily blocking one lane of traffic, flagging down approaching motorists, long enough to blindfold Jessica and bring her to them on a golf cart.
"He took the blindfold off, I saw my family there, and the sign just said 'Happy Birthday Jessica.' And he gave me the Luke Bryan tickets, which I was super excited about. I thought that was my grand surprise!" Jessica exclaimed.
Little did she know that Aaron was about to top that with an even better sign, one that read "Will You Marry Me?"
"They wished her happy birthday. She thinks that's the end of it. And then, when they switch that sign, there wasn't a dry eye in the whole (place.) It was great, it was actually perfect," Lundie shared.
And as Jessica turned around, there was Aaron, down on one knee, finding himself improvising as he got caught up in the moment.
"I blanked out. Everything I had planned to say left my mind, and I had to make that up as I was going, as well," he admitted.
Whatever he said, it worked, because Jessica said yes.
"I can't remember exactly what he said. I just know that he said there's no one else he wants to spend his life with and asked me to be his wife," she said with a huge smile across her face.
The couple is now looking forward to wedding planning, possibly considering getting married on their anniversary, May 6.
For more on Lundie's Photography: https://www.facebook.com/Lundies-Photography-Inc-244043139226/timeline/ or https://www.facebook.com/lundie1?fref=ts
