Hiding Behind a Golf Cart: How did I find myself here?

A few weeks after overcoming my fear of proposal photography and realizing how much joy I could capture (re: See my previous post about my first ever proposal/engagement shoot on the Lighthouse Point Park beach in East Haven), I got a new request. I was reached out to by a man all the way in New York looking to propose to his girlfriend in the coming weeks at the Purchase Golf Club, one of their regular venues. At first I was a bit concerned, as he was initially looking to find someone with an extreme telephoto zoom lens who could photograph the proposal from the club house balcony (about a third of a mile away!) though luckily, the staff members were more than obliged to help us get me a bit (a lot!) closer.
Normally, most of my photography sessions take place around the New Haven region, as well as a bit in Hartford, and even Litchfield and Fairfield counties. However, I'm more than happy to make up the difference with small travel fees for greater distances! And as I already needed to be in Norwalk that day, it wasn't too much further.
When I arrived, I was so lucky to be greeted and assisted by such helpful staff members. The plan was that they were going to be keeping track via radios of where the couple was, so they could warn us as they got closer to the 18th hole. In the meantime, and while they were still far away, I was taken down via golf cart (I'd never been in one!) to the last hole to figure out where I could hide. At first, I figured I could probably just climb into the edge of the forest and shoot through the leaves as I normally would, but one of the staff members had the great idea of just leaving the vacant golf cart down by the edge of the woods for me to hide behind. 
From there we rode back up to the club house to wait, as it was very hot out. As soon as we got the call that they were almost to the 18th hole, we rode back down to get in position. 

One thing I haven't mentioned - There was a fluorescent pink golf ball that he had written "Marry Me" on in sharpie and given it to the staff attendants. When I was driven back, the pink golf ball was placed inside the 18th hole and then I was left to wait, hidden behind the abandoned golf cart by the woods. 
Wondering when they would finally come around the corner was nerve-wracking, mainly because I didn't want to peer upward at the wrong moment and have them spot me. When they did finally appear around the bend I didn't dare move, barely allowing myself to squint through the bars of the golf cart, as I knew the vacant cart might raise enough suspicions on its own.
As she hit her final stroke and walked towards the hole I couldn't help but hold my breath, at this point feeling safe enough to risk raising myself to focus the camera; I knew at this point she'd be paying too much attention to the hole and what was inside it to notice the mysterious golf cart anymore.

And then it happened, just like it was supposed to, and the staff members cheered from all the way up where they stood on the club house balcony. We think she was definitely surprised!
After that, we traveled around the whole golf course, me with their caddy in my abandoned golf cart and them in a second cart, to take some extra close-ups. And possibly my favorite line of the day: "You picked this out yourSELF? Without supervision??" It really was a stunning ring!

​Looking to propose and want to have the moment photographed when you pop the question? I'd love to capture your proposal and engagement photos with you on the big day!