She Said Yes! {Detroit Engagement Photographer}

Derek has been a great friend of Steve and I since the early days of high school, so I was pumped when he started dating this amazing girl named Becky.  Not many of our friends are married, let alone have kids, so whenever I see potential for a new girl to join the group I get super psyched!  The minute anyone meets Becky you can tell she is a gorgeous person inside and out, full of life and energy.  The two were a perfect fit, even sharing a passion for sports.  In fact they have started running marathons together, completing the half marathon in Traverse City earlier this year.  So when they said they were going to be running the 2009 Detroit Marathon that stretches across Detroit and Windsor I knew I wanted to head down to grab some actions shot of them and a special surprise. 
Last Sunday I woke up at the crack of dawn to head downtown to catch Derek and Becky in action.  My first stop was right outside of the tunnel, on the corner of the Ren Cen property and Jefferson Avenue.  It was completely inspirational to see the number of men and women, both young and old of all shapes and sizes taking on this amazing feat.  The runners had huge smiles on their faces to see the crowd awaiting them on the U.S. side of the tunnel, with family and friends waving and cheering them on.  Thousands of athletes spilled onto Jefferson Avenue and I was so worried I wouldn’t catch Derek, Becky and their friend Jane in the mass of runners.  After an hour or so I thankfully saw trio emerge and yelled down in excitement, allowing me to grab a few images as they passed by.  Then I hauled over to the finish line where Derek & Becky’s family was awaiting their arrival.  The group and I anxiously waited to see Derek cross the finish line, because they knew that Becky was going to get the surprise of her life.  Sure enough I spotted Derek finishing the race a few lengths ahead of Becky, with one hand tightly holding onto the ring box in his pocket.  He quickly got onto position, down on one knee a few feet past the finish line.  Becky crossed the finish ending up right in front of Derek holding a beautiful engagement ring.  He asked her to marry him….  and she said yes!  The next thing we all new they were swarmed by reporters getting the scoop on this great moment, and ended up featured on the front page of the Freep Monday!   Here are a few of my images from a morning I was honored to be a part of