Josh & Maureen’s Proposal Video & DC Engagement Pictures

I get some seriously awesome submissions you guys. This is one of them. We’ve shared rad proposal videos before and now we get to share another. Josh sent in the awesome proposal video that he made for his then-girlfriend, Maureen to watch, in the theater where they first met. From the video, he appeared to proposed and had Traci J Brooks Photography on hand to capture some sneaky images during the proposal and a few after. After it all, Mauren (the bride to be!) blogged about the entire proposal on her blog, so we have LOTS of details to share from that!

So grab those tissues and be prepared, because this one is sure to put a big old smile on your face (and possibly some tears in your eyes!).

Josh & Maureen’s Proposal Video & Engagement Pictures

Photography: Traci J. Brooks Photography

First, the video Josh made for Maureen to watch:

The Gift – The Engagement Story of Maureen and Josh from 22nd Street Imaging on Vimeo.

And now, all the details from Maureen’s account! First, how they met:

About a month or so ago, Josh and I got letters in the mail from The Little Theatre of Alexandria (LTA). I’ve done three shows with LTA and this is where Josh and I met while doing a production of Oliver! in October 2010.

The letter was from our friend Rachel, who produced Oliver! and heads the marketing department at the theatre. Let’s just say the letter made me super excited – LTA was doing a focus group on the evening of November 10th with a few select participants to discuss the direction of the theatre next season. The gist was, they wanted me to come to the theatre, have a catered dinner, and discuss what shows LTA should do in the coming years to ensure it was staying current and artistically sound. It was right up my alley. I RSVP’d yes, crossed it off my to-do list, put it on my calendar, and threw out the letter.

A month went by and I didn’t think much of the focus group event. Josh brought it up a couple of times but it was always in passing. I continued to go about my life, go to work and eat delicious food. Business as usual.

Sunday, November 10th came and it seemed like any other day. We went to church, ran some errands, I got the new iPhone, and we watched some TV while we ate a late breakfast. I had a bunch of things to do in the afternoon and evening and Josh was going to watch football with his dad, so he left and I rushed to get ready. I’m usually behind and Sunday was no exception.

As I was deep into the closet, my box phone started ringing (it was Josh). As I balanced on the chair, I took the box out of my purse, took the lid off the box and put the box with the phone (on speaker) sitting in it on the shelf in the closet while I continued to rummage.

The conversation went a little like this (note: I am fussy and Josh is super sweet in this conversation:

• M: Hi. What is it? I’m running late and I can’t talk right now.
• J: Hi honey, I just got a text from Rachel and she said since LTA is catering dinner tonight that we probably shouldn’t wear jeans.
• M: What? Are you freaking kidding me?
• J: It’s ok just we–
• M: (interrupting) Honey, no. I’m already wearing jeans. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe how unprofessional this is. They didn’t put anything about a dress code in the letter.
• J: Take a deep breath. I know you’re stressed. Can you just grab a dress and you can change later?
• M: I don’t want to wear a dress!

I eventually I grabbed a dress, got in the car, and called Josh to apologize for being so upset at him when he didn’t do anything wrong.  That afternoon, dress in tow, I went to see my mom, went to see my Grandpa (where I put on the rando dress I grabbed and my make-up), and went to have drinks with my friend Maria before the meeting at LTA. After we finished dinner / drinks and I walked back to my car to put my leftovers in it (I had only eaten half a sandwich because I knew LTA was catering dinner) and then continued walking the few blocks to the theatre.

Click inside for the rest of Maureen & Josh’s proposal story!

About thirty seconds before walking into the door I had this thought: “What if this is all a big joke and Josh is proposing?” NO JOKE! I have no idea why this popped into my mind when it did but then (because I had been thinking this thought every time something romantic happened for the past few months) I thought, “No Maureen. It’s a meeting. He said he needed more time. Six months to a year.” But I walked right up to the door of the theatre and it was open. So, I went inside to get to my meeting. Or so I thought…

The Proposal

When I walked into the building Rachel was standing in the lobby. She gave me a big hug, said she was running a bit late, and told me to head into the main theatre and that we would get started in a second. I opened the doors from the lobby and stepped into the theatre. It was completely empty. No people, no noise, no nothing. The house lights were out. The stage was lit. There were candles in mason jars lining the aisle in front of me. And I knew. I knew what was happening. I immediately burst into tears.

To try to explain what I was feeling is almost impossible. I was so caught off guard that I didn’t know what I was feeling. My adrenaline started racing, I was crying and I just wanted to see Josh. But he wasn’t anywhere that I could see.

Right at the entrance where I was standing was a music stand with a letter on it. It said “Read me. Use this flashlight.” So I picked up the flashlight and read the letter from Josh. In it, he reassured me that everything was ok and that it was ok that I was probably crying and overwhelmed. He told me to take a deep breath, that he loved me, and that when I was ready to walk down to the front row. There was something for me to watch. He also had a pack of tissues there for me. Let’s just say, I needed those.

I eventually gathered myself and walked to the front row of the theatre. I took off my coat and scarf so that I wouldn’t look like a homeless woman and sat in a seat in the front row that said, “Sit here”. Next to the seat was an iPad and headphones with instructions on what to do next. So I sat and watched the short film Josh had made for me about our life together.

When the film finished, I looked up and Josh was standing on stage in front of me. At this point I started to cry harder. Josh said something like, “Honey, it’s ok. Come here,” and brought me on stage with him. This is where it all gets a little fuzzier because I was shaking so much. Josh was starting to cry and his hands were shaking. He told me he loved me and that he wanted to take care of me, spend his life with me and make me happy even when it was hard. Because we know it will be tough sometimes and that’s ok because he wants to do it with me.

Then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

He was so cute. He started to go down on his right knee and then switched to his left. When he looked up at me I couldn’t see the ring or his shaking hands or anything except his beautiful face. I said, “yes!”, cried more (typical!), he put the ring on my finger, we kissed, took pictures, kissed some more and drank champagne on the stage. Where we met. Three years ago.

It was perfect.

For more – check out Maureen’s own blog post on the entire proposal here.

Congratulations Maureen & Josh! Thank you for sharing your amazing proposal story with us here. A special thanks to Traci J. Brooks Photography as well for sharing her images!

[icon size=”small” image=”icon-heart”]