MALIK + FARHANA
Surprise Engagement Proposal
Date: 01-25-20
Location: 32111 Mulholland Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265
Vendors:
Photographer: Mike Federis Photography
Venue: Malibu Wine Safari
This was one of the most challenging and rewarding engagement sessions to date. I absolutely loved how everything turned out. Big congrats to Rahim & Farhana! You guys are such wonderful people and I’m so happy for both of you!
Below is a brief summary of how everything was planned and the details behind the surprise proposal.
What’s so interesting about this Surprise Engagement Proposal is that Malik’s sister is the one that found me on Instagram back in November of 2019. Amber luckily stumbled upon my Instagram page and sent me a direct message. At first we had some technical difficulties with her e-mail and sending over my estimate. Eventually, we finally figured it out and I was able to contact Malik from there.
Malik’s plan was to take his now fiancé, Farhana on a Malibu Wine Safari Tour and surprise her with the epic question “will you marry me?” The tour would consists of several stops along the ranch and include a lunch. Malik knew that Farhana would love this tour because of the amazing wine and animals on this ranch. One of the most famous animals on the ranch is a giraffe named Stanley, who was featured in the movie Hangover Part III.
The biggest challenge of this surprise engagement session was finding the perfect spot for him to pop the question. We definitely wanted Rahim to pop the question early on the tour so we can freely take engagement photos. It would be a tough sell for me to pretend that I wasn't a photographer throughout the tour.
So we did some research and found an interesting spot where there was a free standing door that had a picturesque backdrop of a mountain. At the time we thought this was called the frame. Unfortunately, once I arrived at the venue, they informed me that this spot would be towards the end of the tour. This definitely threw a wrench in our plans but there was another location which they recommended. So the entire time I was texting Rahim to keep him in the loop and make sure were both on the same page. I also talked to the driver and tour guide and confirmed that there was a frame on the second stop of the tour. I decided to fill in the driver and tour guide on the secret since I wanted to make sure we had enough time at the second stop.
Our tour started at 11:00am, and we all jumped in an open top truck that fit about 15 people. Malik and Farhana sat in the front row of the truck. My entire goal before the 2nd stop was to be as invincible as possible, but I have to admit it was difficult since I was by myself. When most people go on these type of tours, they usually go with a group of people or another person. So I sat all the way in the back pretending to be a blogger :)
But, I was up for the challenge and I wanted to make sure this would be a success for Malik. The first stop of the tour was Stanley the giraffe. The tour guide gave us a a brief history on Stanley’s movie career and how he ended up at the ranch. Overall, he was a friendly and happy giraffe. I took a few candid photos of Rahim and Farhana here but I didn’t want to make it too obvious since we were all clustered in a small area.
The next stop would be “proposal spot” Once the truck pulled over, I immediately changed my lens to the 70-200mm lens. I wanted to be fully prepared and didn’t want to be changing lenses in the middle of the photos. The actual spot was about 100 feet away. But, before the big question moment, the tour guide walked us over to a table to taste some wines. There were a few red and white wines, I honestly couldn’t remember if I was drinking a pinot or cabernet. I was too focused on taking candid photos and mentally preparing for the big moment. From time to time, I would make quick eye contact with Malik. I knew he would have to slowly make his way to the spot. Luckily, there were some animals towards the that area and so Malik started walking Farhana to that area.
I also told a few people on the truck about the little secret and I asked young lady to record the entire surprise.
I stood about 50 feet away pretending that I was just taking pictures of the landscapes. Malik finally made eye contact with me and gave me a thumbs up that it was a “go” So Malik made his way under the frame and perfectly positioned himself and Farhana as I suggested. I could tell that Malik was slightly nervous and Farhana was a bit confused why they were walking under this frame. On the other hand, I knew this was going to be a beautiful moment.
Positioning: This is so important to make sure your client is positioned correctly in front of the lens to capture the perfect shots of this special moment.
The moment was very touching as Malik finally got down on one knee and pulled out a beautiful engagement ring. For some reason, it seemed like everyone from the tour knew what was going on. Once Farhana said “yes” everyone from the tour was cheering for the beautiful couple. Farhana was absolutely elated and surprised. At this point, I’m just shooting away taking as many photos as I can so I don’t miss any moments. At the same time I was super happy for Rahim and her lovely fiancé, Farhana. I was finally able to introduce myself and tell Farhana that we had planned this for months. It was truly a perfect day for Malik & Farhana.
The entire tour was lovely and we were able to capture some amazing photos at this beautiful vineyard and ranch. After the tour, we had one last surprise for Farhana. Rahim had made reservations at Malibu Cafe and invited all their closest friends. The Malibu Cafe was about 5 minutes away and this would be another great surprise for Farhana.
Overall, the surprise engagement proposal went as smooth as we planned. I’m super thankful to the staff at the Malibu Wine Safari and the friends I made on the tour for helping us out.
I’m sure you’ve heard enough from me. Here’s a few thoughts and insights from Malik:
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What were your top 3 photos from the engagement gallery?
1. The one with Farhana holding the ring out.
2. The one with me on my knees proposing.
3. The one where she jumps after i propose.
What was the biggest surprise of the day?
MG: How picturesque the whole tour was and I was really thankful you asked a girl on the tour to catch a video of the moment so we'll always have that.
What was your most anticipated part of the day?
MG: The proposal itself i was anticipating as I wanted everything to be perfect (which it was :)). The afterparty lunch we had was a great surprise for Farhana as she didn't expect that at all and to share this special moment with family and friends was something we'll always cherish.
How did you feel after you popped the question?
MG: I felt so relieved after popping the question. I felt like a new man ready to celebrate with my new fiance.
What ended up being your favorite part of the day?
MG: My favorite part was after the safari tour we snuck into the rose garden to take pictures which all came out amazing.
What were some of your favorite engagement details?
MG: Favorite details has to be location, food, pictures and family. All very important to a successful engagement and ofcourse the girl saying yes :).
Describe the Malibu Wine Safari and why did you choose that tour?
MG: I chose the wine safari because of how much Farhana loves animals. I knew i wanted to incorporate animals into the proposal i just didnt know how. We dont drink and we love food so i made sure to pick the lunch tour which gave us great food we can enjoy together and pictures with animals and in the beautiful hills of malibu.
Describe Malibu Cafe and second surprise of the day.
MG: Having family there was very special especially when Farhana and I saw our siblings it was emotional to spend that moment with our partners in crime. It really felt like we joined 2 families.
How did you feel after the day ended?
MG: I also put together a dinner for both our families including our parents so that was very special. We all laughed ate and had a great time feeling relaxed and excited for the road ahead.
What did you like most about working with Me (Mike)?
MG: I love how innovative you were. You played music to make if feel more natural you told us exactly how to pose and you took the lead in making sure the things that would slip my mind you would catch it, I would say you were much more than a photographer you were like a engagement planner! Great experience.
What are you looking forward to the most as an engaged couple?
MG: We've been going out for 3 years and its been special every single day with each other. The thing we're most looking forward to is spending these special moments with the family and travelling.
What advice would you give to future grooms looking to plan a surprise engagement proposal?
MG: Try to pick a location where there is sentimental value also fine a way to get her siblings or family/friends involved. It will make it so much more special for the both of you as it was for us.
