We're from the SF Bay Area, but we love traveling to Las Vegas for quick getaways, and over the…read moreyears it has become our favorite destination--it's relatively close, there are always great deals for flights and accommodations, and we always have a blast. So last summer, once I had finally gotten my act together and decided that it was finally time to propose to my girlfriend, I knew that that I wanted the proposal to happen in Vegas. I also knew that I wanted to have the moment captured in photos.
Once I convinced my then-girlfriend--spoiler, she said yes--to take an impromptu trip to Vegas (it didn't take much convincing), I decided to propose on our first night there, so I began scouring the web and various wedding websites to try and find a photographer to capture the proposal. It proved to be a bit challenging--while there are many photographers in the greater Las Vegas area, not many advertise proposal photography since it doesn't seem to be as common as couples/engagement sessions. Luckily, I came upon The Emerics website and decided to contact them, and I am so thankful that I did.
After completing the contact form and requesting a quote on their website, Jessie emailed me back right away, confirmed her availability, and immediately provided some thoughtful suggestions and info. She also offered to schedule a time for us to chat on the phone. I had many, many questions--and at that point I did not have a proposal location picked out--so I took her up on the phone call the next day. From our first conversation, it was like talking to an old friend--she was so nice, provided tons of great suggestions for locations and tips for how to pull it off, and was equally enthusiastic about the proposal and the chance to capture the special moment for us. I had about 4 or 5 locations that I had been considering, and she gave me honest feedback about all of them. Pros, cons, the best areas, areas that were off limits, typical foot traffic, best lighting conditions--basically, all the stuff that I needed to know to make a good decision. But I appreciated that she was 100% committed to capturing the moment for me, whatever and wherever I decided.
I went ahead and booked Jessie that day, though I asked for a few weeks to think about the location before finalizing it. She was nice enough to send me a few sample photos that she had taken at some of the prospective locations, and was patient with me as I sent diagrams (yes, diagrams) of some of the possible locations, and contingency plans in case the areas were unavailable (I'm not crazy, you are!) In the end, I decided on an area that she had suggested--right on the Strip along the Venetian outdoor gondola area, with a great backdrop of the Venetian "lake", gondolas and the Venetian façade, yet relatively quiet in terms of foot traffic. It was perfect.
We exchanged a few more emails and texts in the days, hours and even minutes leading up to the proposal itself. We didn't actually meet or greet each other in person until immediately after the proposal had taken place, but again, it was like meeting an old friend. And that, for me, was the best part of the experience; she wasn't just a photographer, or just someone on a gig; instead, she was a partner in crime, who had very much been involved in the planning of this special moment and who was very much invested in it as well. She truly went above and beyond--she was like a photographer/coordinator/buddy all in one.
My fiancée and I were both in a daze (albeit a very happy one) after the proposal, but Jessie hung around and we ended up having an impromptu engagement photo session right then and there. She really did an excellent job--the proposal and engagement photos really captured the emotions that we were feeling at the time. I'm not embarrassed to say that we look at the photos often, and they always result in a smile because they transport us back to that day and those moments. We put the photos into heavy rotation as well--save the dates, our engagement party, our wedding website--and constantly receive compliments about them. We may have even blown one up and placed it on our wall :)
I cannot say enough about Jessie and The Emerics. Booking them was easily one of the best decisions I have made. If you are looking for a photographer in the Vegas area (or not--they travel too), whatever your occasion or event is, book them--you will not regret the photos or the experience that they provide.
