By now you've probably seen the headlines: a couple scaled the antenna spire on top of the Empire State Building, unfurled a banner, and got engaged 1,450 feet above Midtown, before being arrested and charged with burglary and reckless endangerment. It is objectively one of the wildest proposal stories of the year.
I get the impulse. A city skyline backdrop makes a proposal feel bigger than life. But you don't need a felony charge to get that feeling on camera. New York and New Jersey have no shortage of rooftop and skyline locations where I can get you the same dramatic, cinematic backdrop with zero risk of getting escorted out by the NYPD's Emergency Service Unit.
I've photographed proposals on private rooftops with the Empire State Building glowing in the near distance, candles and rose petals arranged well within a legal permit, and the whole thing over before anyone's pulse spikes for the wrong reason. I've also shot the skyline from the water on a sailboat at golden hour, and from parks along the Brooklyn waterfront where the bridge and skyline sit right behind you.
If a skyline proposal is the vision, I would love to help you plan the legal version. Here's what that process looks like:
- A quick consultation call to talk through your vision, timing, and whether a rooftop, waterfront, or park setting fits best
- Venue coordination so the location, lighting, and backup plan are locked in ahead of time
- Full documentation of the moment itself along with portraits after, so the proposal and the celebration both get captured
If you want the story to be about how happy you both looked - not how many charges you're facing - reach out and we will build something just as unforgettable, the safest way possible.