Last week I cajoled my – spoiler – fiancée onto the balcony of one of London’s tallest buildings, got down on one knee, and presented her with a ring and an ad-libbed speech on her many wonderful qualities and why I’d like to make her my wife.
My declaration of love didn’t run as perfectly as I’d planned in my head. For one thing we live in uncertain times, and no one is allowed up to the top of a skyscraper without having first submitted to a trip through airport-style security. This is an inconvenience at the best of times, but if you’ve carefully placed a special ring in just the right pocket for a certain moment and then are forced to discreetly stuff it into your bag without revealing yourself, well, trust me, you’ll be storing up trouble for later.
For another, well, some of you might know that people are expected to arrange the photography of their special moments in advance. I didn’t. I know, decades of publishing photography publications, yet somehow all the various ways wedding photographers increase their fees had still not quite reached my attention.
I’d argue that it takes a certain bravery – or, to use the proper word, arrogance – to pay for, and secrete, a photographer on location in advance. I am not that brave, and certainly wasn’t that confident. Nor, to be honest, do I see placing photographers around any area – let alone one I have little control over the timings of – as being especially romantic.
Anyway, since I gave away the outcome already, I’ll move straight on. My new fiancée, Ariane, and I, were both in a state of some bliss overlooking London but – honestly – absorbed entirely with ourselves when we were interrupted immediately after the timeless classic knee/ring/finger exchange. (Well, save for the delay in getting to the ring because of the security...)
“I do not want to intrude on your private moment” interrupted a distinctly German accent “but I have filmed your proposal and wondered if you wanted the video before I deleted it.”
Of course we did, and Ariane gave the German, Mattes, her number (yes, she was already giving other men her phone number two minutes into our engagement). Soon after, the video file arrived on her phone via WhatsApp, but not before another of his countryfolk had made a similar introduction:
“I think I did the same thing” said a German called Yazmin, in a no less Teutonic tone. Once again, my fiancée swapped numbers, and this time we got photos along with two videos.
It transpired we were especially lucky to have these relatively youthful Germans taking unsolicited images of us, as the only other pictures we were able to capture were my own efforts to extend my arms for a selfie, and a pic snapped for us by a couple on the balcony celebrating their 50th anniversary. Sadly, we didn't quite arrange ourselves just right for these in all the excitement (okay, maybe a professional would have made us try again...).
Moments later, we were forced to retreat from the balcony, luckily coinciding with the meal I’d booked in the restaurant on the 37th floor (I admit it, I was a little optimistic about the outcome…). Joking aside, I’d like to say a heartfelt thanks to the two strangers who captured such an unforgettable moment in a way I otherwise would have entirely failed to.
The Sky Garden, however, is a tourist location in central London. If you get down on one knee, you do naturally become a bit of street theatre, but it is nice that some people are prepared to understand how their photos can matter and share them.
Not everyone would have introduced themselves, but I'm glad they did, and it's great that phones give us the means to share images so easily.
So if you're planning on proposing, my advice – as well as finding someone as amazing as Ariane – is to consider the advantages of being street theatre. Your rom-com can go international!
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