So he and Caitlin and their cutie-pie daughter were just wandering along and all of a sudden happened on the Pumpkin that popped the question!!! Ten points for Sal! It was totally dark except for the glow of the pumpkins. I was hiding between Sal’s pumpkin and an elephant statue waiting for them to come by, but I had never met them but over the phone so I didn’t even know who to look for! Thankfully the RW Special Events coordinator Kate was there to give me a heads up! The crowd was pretty thin before they arrived but just as Sal got down on one knee, the crowd bum-rushed him and someone actually grabbed my shoulders from behind and asked me to move so she could get a picture of Sal on one knee! LOL!

The Channel Ten news team arrived just two minutes too late to catch it, but no worries… I gave them some .jpgs for the 10 o’clock broadcast… I know, I know, I’m just so generous like that ; )

As the news team was interviewing Sal and Caitlin, someone walked up and gave Sal his card saying: “Congratulations guys, I’m a wedding photographer, call me when you’re ready” hee hee hee!

This was so much fun… anyone else having a surprise engagement?!?!

The Catholic ceremony was beautiful and the light in the church was PERFECTION! The pics were coming out great and then all of a sudden, the priest began the exchange of rings but Ashley and Rick were not facing their guests! They were sideways and totally blocked from view. Yikes! I quickly looked around for another angle and noticed my assist Madeline gesturing towards the steps behind me which lead up to a prayer loft. Perfect! So I ducked my way over, and crept half way up the stairs sticking my 200mm lens between two bars of the banister. Thankfully the guests couldn’t see me so I managed to get the rings and kiss from a perfect angle without being a distraction. Its funny, I always carry two lenses and two camera bodies on me. Most of the time, one camera is dead weight, but for these random occasions, it works out beautifully so I don’t miss a beat! Can you tell I’m all proud of myself? I’m such a dork. I think you had to be there to appreciate my stealth maneuver.

Anyways… we stopped in Waterplace Park for formals and enjoyed a really fun reception at the Casino at Roger Williams Park. Those Guys (absolutely AWESOME band) kept people dancing ALL night, and Atomic Caterers kept people eating ALL night. They even brought out a dessert buffet that included yummy s’mores, fruit, strawberry shortcake, and a million other things, all followed by a bruschetta buffet as a late night snack!!! Good times.

On to the pics!