Lafayette Dennis took his girlfriend Irene to Palm Springs where he proposed to her.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ASHLEY LAPRADE
Lafayette Dennis and his longtime girlfriend Irene had pined for a getaway from Texas to Palm Springs. A work conference he planned to attend here created the perfect opportunity — and the chance for him to take along a little box. When Irene suggested their trip include a dinner date and “taking some photos,” Lafayette didn’t hesitate. He hired wedding photographer Ashley LaPrade to capture the moment. In preparation for his surprise proposal, Lafayette asked Irene’s father — in Spanish — for his blessing.
Caught on film, their proposal had all the classic elements: knee bend, tears, and a kiss.
He said yes. Now, for his daughter: “While getting ready for our reservation at 4 Saints at the Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs Hotel, I told Irene I had scheduled a mini photoshoot beforehand,” Dennis says. “She said I had misunderstood: She wanted to take selfies and pictures with our phones. I told her it was my mistake, but there was nothing we could do now.”
In front of the Palm Art Springs Museum, Lafayette nervously got down on one knee. LaPrade was there to snap each emotional second as it unfolded, from the question to the answer to the couple’s rooftop Champagne toast.
She said yes.
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