Photographer Captures Marriage Proposal by Hiding in a Garbage Can

Because the wedding industrial complex aims to involve itself in every little detail when it comes to your special day, we’ve got wedding photos, engagement photos, and proposal photos (in reverse order). And in the quest for sentimental perfection, some photographers are prepared to go really far. Maybe too far.

Color me sappy, but I like the idea of proposal photos. They can capture a very memorable, totally candid moment (for me, the experience was more emotional than the wedding itself). It’s a far cry from the intensely choreographed proposal videos that are clearly designed with the intention of going viral — and that’s a good thing. While proposal pics certainly require a degree of planning on the part of whoever’s doing the proposing, the resulting photos are usually low-key and intimate. While some couples share them, you’re not likely to see any of them splashed all over the internet, going viral. Until now.

Currently there’s a batch of proposal photos from Ontario making the rounds; to the outsider’s eye, they’re no more or less adorable than any standard-issue proposal moment. What was going on behind the scenes, however, has made the images of particular interest: In order to capture the perfect, candid shot and completely conceal his presence, photographer Chance Faulkner hid in a fucking trash can.

One would have to assume there were no better options if the groom was dead set on proposing in an exact spot. Nevertheless, this feels like a bridge too far. When our quest for emotional perfection requires a photographer to behave like a dirty muppet from Sesame Street, maybe we’re asking too much of our vendors.

That said, the pictures are really sweet. I can’t look at them without imagining the smell of rotting garbage, but that’s my problem, not theirs.

And here’s the bride-to-be when she found out where the photographer was hidden:

Images via Chance Faulkner Photography.