A Horticulture Center Proposal That Began as a Photo Shoot
The bride-to-be thought the day was an absolute blast: “We danced around and did some unconventional posing.”
Jie Yi Kuang and Benjamin S.L. Wong at their Horticulture Center proposal / Photography by Carsten Schlag Photography
Proposal season is here, and we’re kicking things off with a beautiful “yes” moment at the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center. The greenhouse is a popular wedding venue, and we frequently showcase unions here. But we get to highlight proposal stories at the destination far less, so we jumped at the chance. Plus, this one is filled with clever capers to inspire your proposal!
The couple: Jie Yi Kuang, founder and illustrator at Char and Whiskers, and Benjamin S.L. Wong, co-founder and sound/re-recording mixer at Dragonfly Audio Post
How they met: Jie and Ben connected as teammates with the Pennsylvania Dragon Boat Club. Neither of them wanted to date someone from their dragon-boat team, but fate had another idea. They became friends, grew closer during the pandemic, and dated for two and a half years before getting engaged.
The proposal approach: Ben says he started “making moves” before he had completely figured out how he was going to propose: “I sort of let the ‘plan’ form itself.” First, he purchased the ring. Then he recruited Jie’s best friend, Anesis, to help him out. He had two main directives for Anesis: make sure Jie’s nails were done before the big moment, and help initiate the plan to Jie. Together, Ben and Anesis brainstormed ideas, and came up with simulating a photo shoot, with a pro photographer (Carsten Schlag) in disguise as Anesis’s friend and amateur lensman trying to build up his portfolio.
The plot thickens: The plan went into action when Anesis called Jie and asked if she and Ben would be models. Jie declined — a number of times — but ultimately agreed to do it when she realized how excited Ben was about the opportunity. She wasn’t totally sold, however, and kept bombarding Anesis with questions. (Anesis played coy, and shared all the questions with Carsten and Ben via group text, so they would keep their story straight.)
The photo shoot: The day arrived, and Jie thought: “If we’re going to do this, let’s make it fun.” She admits that the day spent at the Horticulture Center was an absolute blast. “It was filled with laughter and lots of love,” she says. “We danced around and did some unconventional posing.”
The big moment: Eventually, Jie and Ben were asked to pose separately, and that’s when he got down on one knee. “I fumbled through my whole speech,” he says. But Jie thought it was perfect. “He told me about the life he imagines in our future. Then he asked me to marry him. And of course I said yes.”
The post-proposal sushi: The group had sushi and ramen at Bubblefish. “It did not truly hit me until I had sushi in my mouth at the restaurant,” says Jie. “I cried from happiness.”
The wedding plans: The couple is planning an intimate wedding for 2024.
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