The Proposal

Sunday, I proposed to Beth in front of Tillman at Clemson University.

She said yes!

Beth attended Clemson and works for Clemson so it turned out to be the perfect spot. She was totally surprised. We met while serving together on Gov. Jim Hodges' staff years ago.

Many thanks to Bart Boatwright of The Greenville News (pic below) for these amazing images. Bart is a good friend and covers Clemson sports for the paper. He's one of the best photographers I've ever known.

Boatwright

Also, I have to thank Bart's friend Matt, who played a role in surprising Beth. I told Beth I was going to be meeting a rep from a publication company that is creating a calendar and wants a shot of Tillman for the publication. Matt (who pretended to be the rep) and I stood in front of Tillman and acted like we were talking about the photography while Beth was in the car.

After he left, I asked Beth if she would help me with some of the photography. I asked her if she would hold up a compass and told her we needed to photograph the compass in order to take readings to produce a panoramic image of Tillman.

After a minute or so of walking around and capturing the readings, Beth stopped for a moment to read the description on the Thomas Green Clemson statue.

When she turned back around, I asked her if she could hold something and showed her the box. I have to admit it was so much fun watching the look on her face! She was shocked!

I knelt down on one knee and asked her to marry me.

Below is a composite that shows everything.

It was a day we'll both never forget. Thanks to everyone who made it happen. All images ©2013 Bart Boatwright.