“Dominick contacted me to capture this very special moment when he proposed to the love of his life, Anastasia. He had the whole thing planned out… he had her picked up from their hotel in a limo which drove her to the Boone Hall Plantation, where she hopped into a horse-drawn carriage and rode up the driveway to where Dominick was waiting and he proposed to her. Of course she said “Yes!” They then explored the plantation while enjoying champagne.” – Valerie Schooling Photography

Describe your thoughts on your proposal, where you surprised?

“As the holiday season was approaching, Dominick mentioned that he would love for us to get away and relax for a few days (just the 2 of us) before the craziness of the holidays ensued. Even though we had a lot going on – I thought it was a great idea.  So a couple weeks before Christmas we drove up to Charleston, South Carolina for 4 days of rest and relaxation. Neither of us had been to Charleston before, but were excited to explore a new place.  It didn’t take long for us to fall in love with the city. We spent our first few days walking around, riding bikes and exploring the streets, restaurants and shops of the Holy City.There was so much to do and see with the holiday season in full swing! We even got to see the Nutcracker one night! I was thinking what a wonderful trip it was – not expecting the real action was going to take place on our last day. On Sunday – we had a wonderful morning: breakfast in bed and a quick trip to the gym and I was really looking forward to our afternoon in the city. As I was getting ready – Dominick told me he was going to pop out for a moment and that I should meet him downstairs at 2:30. It was a bit strange I thought, but I just shook it off and got ready to go. When I arrived in the lobby, Dominick was not there, but he had the hotel manager and bellman waiting for me with a bottle of wine and a present.  They directed me to the front of the hotel where a big, black, shiny stretch limo was waiting for me. I assumed when they opened the door that Dominick would be waiting inside, but he was nowhere to be seen. So I settled in, had a glass of wine and started to open my present as the limo winded through the city streets. I opened the present and was a bit confused at first, he had gotten me an….iPad. Nice gift, but a little bit strange I thought. Then I opened the card that Dominick had left and it said there was something for me to watch on the iPad. So I turned it on, and sure enough he had made me a video with pictures of our last 3-4 years together set to our favorite songs. It was so incredibly sweet going down memory lane and remembering all the wonderful times we had shared together. After about 30 minutes, the limo turned into Boone Hall Plantation. Boone Hall is the quintessential southern plantation featuring the “Avenue of the Oaks” – a beautiful canopy of oak trees lining a long dirt road leading to the stately mansion in the distance. I knew Dominick really wanted to go there – one of his favorite movies growing up was the North and South which was filmed here a few years ago. As the limo came to a stop, the door opened and sitting at the entrance to the Avenue of the Oaks was a beautiful horse and carriage. The driver escorted me on board and in a couple of minutes I was trotting down the dirt road underneath the beautiful oak trees. It was starting to set in – he was up to something! As the carriage reached the edge of avenue, I began to hear the first few notes of “our song” resonating from the front of the house (“I won’t let you go” by James Morrison). As I walked through the gate, I saw Dominick, standing at the front of the house with a nervous smile on his face.  NOW I KNEW SOMETHING WAS UP! I slowly walked up to the house and when I arrived, he dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him. I was shocked – I couldn’t believe it!  We hugged and kissed and laughed and cried – it was amazing! It took me a few minutes before I even realized how beautiful the ring was!!! After a few minutes Dominick signaled the photographers to come out. They had captured the whole thing!  I was so glad Dominick had thought to have the pictures taken – it is something I will always, always treasure! We spent the next couple hours riding around the property in the carriage, drinking champagne and taking pictures with the photographer. It was incredible! Boone Hall is stunning and we were blessed with such a beautiful evening. We finished off our evening with a delicious dinner at High Cotton and a pedi-cab ride through the city. When we got back to the room there was champagne, flowers and some chocolate covered strawberries.  It was so perfect and wonderful – I couldn’t ask for anything more!

How did your fiancé find the photographer?

Valerie was actually recommended to me by another photographer in Charleston. I was so happy that she was able to be there. Valerie is full of energy and made the shoot so much fun! Her and her team were awesome!

What has helped you the most in your wedding planning so far?

I actually haven’t gotten too far down the road to planning yet – so right now I am literally looking at everything! We are looking at Spring of 2015 for the wedding, with potential locations in Orlando or Palm Beach, FL. I want to say a special thank you to all the people who helped Dominick put our proposal together! It was a dream come true! Valerie Schooling Photography, Restoration on Kind, Charleston Coach, Solomon Brothers, Charleston Style Limo and High Cotton!” – Anastasia, the bride-to-be