It started about a month ago as a simple request of a friend – Tyler Austin of TAustin Photography in Fall City. Friend and volunteer Snoqualmie firefighter, Marshall, told Tyler he was planning to pop the question to girlfriend Lia and wanted to know if Tyler and his wife Rachael would take some pictures of the moment.
Of course Tyler said, the husband and wife do lots of these types of photo sessions and the couples are friends – so basically it was a no-brainer. Only stealthy, logistical planning remained so they didn’t tip Lia off as to why Tyler and Rachael were just hanging around with their cameras.
What resulted was a proposal that is making its way around the country thanks to social media.
The Plan
You see, both Marshall and Tyler have firefighting backgrounds. Tyler used to be a volunteer firefighter in Fall City. So when Marshall had the idea to somehow work the proposal into a mock training drill at the Snoqualmie Fire Station, Tyler got right on board.
Now, for the record, the training drill was something the department already had planned – they do them often. No taxpayer or city money was wasted in the making of this special marriage proposal video – one that Time, People, CNN, Inside Edition and numerous local TV news stations around the country have recently featured on their newscasts, websites and social media pages.
The Execution
Marshall got the fire chief to sign off and Snoqualmie on-duty firefighters were in on the plan that went into action Friday, January 8, 2016.
Marshall got Lia to the station under the ruse of a firefighter banquet – so she was dressed up for the impending occasion. She thought friends Tyler and Rachael were there filming a training video for the City of Snoqualmie – training Marshall had to finish before the banquet.
Another firefighter brought Lia out to watch the drill (and Marshall in action), saying he needed to stay near her for safety’s sake. Really, though, he was there to make sure she was in the exact right spot to see the large “Lia, Will you Marry Me?” banner that dropped down from the top of the training tower as Marshall re-emerged from the tower with the ring.
It was all perfectly executed.
The Result
The end result was a special video that now holds one of those forever, lifetime memories – the kind most couples only carry around in their memories, recanting it through the years. Now someday when a family member, friend or maybe future child asks, “How did he propose?”, the answer might be, “Let me grab my computer and show you.”
Tyler said turnaround time on the video was fast, too. They filmed on Friday and had a rough version ready for an engagement party that the couple’s family had planned for the following day. By Monday the final version was complete, which included sharing the video to social media.
And as they say folks, “The rest is history.” It’s now a video circulating the national airwaves.
Seriously. How many people get proposed to by a firefighter from the top of a tower with water spraying everywhere? Only in the movies – or maybe a short film by TAustin Photography.
Congratulations Marshall and Lia – and great work Tyler and Rachael! Perfect stealth execution.
About TAustin Photography
The husband and wife photography team run their business out of Fall City, WA and consider themselves both artists and photographers. The do senior, family, weddings and boudoir photography. When they’re not around the Snoqualmie Valley shooting photo sessions, they can be found working on personal photo projects around the country.
The TAustin Facebook page is where the now viral Snoqualmie Fire Station Marriage Proposal video was first posted. See full video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYP90Y6dDNo&feature=youtu.be
