Behind the scenes of a perfectly orchestrated surprise

A proposal in the middle of the lake, facing a stunning villa, at sunset!

The team? A true spy movie cast:

• Giovanni, our big-hearted Italian captain
• Anastasia, a violinist able to blend into the shadows
• Stéphane and me, photographer and videographer on a secret mission
• And Typhaine, our maestro of emotions

 

When fate steps in…

The day before the big moment, plot twist: the Fréjus tunnel is blocked by a landslide! 🚧 No time to panic, we improvise MacGyver-style and take the Mont Blanc route instead. A two-hour detour? Who cares! To capture THE moment when she would say “yes”, we would have driven all around Italy if needed!

Operation “I’m part of the crew”

So there I was (Émilie), trying to pass myself off as a crew member with an Italian accent worthy of the best romantic comedies. “Si, si, molto bene” and a few Italian hand gestures were enough to keep up the illusion, while the rest of the team hid in the cabin, as silent as ninjas on a mission.

The moment of truth

The sun begins to set over the lake, creating that golden light every photographer dreams of. O. pretends to reach into his bag for a tissue — in reality, he grabs the ring, and that’s the signal!

Everything unfolds like a perfectly choreographed dance:

• Anastasia steps out of her hiding place, her violin begins to play
• The boat gently slows down
• O. takes his love’s hand and leads her onto the deck
• And then… time stands still

 
 

The magic happens

The “yes” echoes across the lake, tears of joy start to fall (even Giovanni discreetly wipes his eyes), laughter, embraces… Moments like these are exactly why we do this job.

What comes next? An improvised photoshoot, even at night in the streets of Como. Mountains in the background, shimmering water, their smiles lighting up every single frame… Pure magic!

The lovers’ verdict

“The video looks like a real music video,” they told us afterwards. “The photos are stunning, every emotion was captured with incredible precision.” But what touches us the most is when they add that our presence made the moment even more special. Because that’s our true mission: to be there without being there, to capture without interrupting, to immortalise without breaking the magic.

The moral of this story?

Sometimes, the most beautiful moments of our job are born from the most unlikely situations. A blocked tunnel, questionable Italian, a team hiding inside a boat cabin… But when love is there, everything becomes possible.

So if you too dream of an extraordinary marriage proposal, a moment suspended in time, a surprise that will stay etched in your memory… we’re ready to cross the Alps (through any tunnel!) for you.

After all, love knows no borders — and neither do we!

PS: We’ve since downloaded Duolingo to improve our Italian. You never know, for next time… 😉