Emily & Hein’s Engagement Shoot in New York City

What’s better than a how-we-met tale? An engagement story. Well, today we’re sharing a little bit of both. Meet Emily & Hein. Like so many couples this year, they want to celebrate with their families so they’ve moved their wedding to next spring. With the extra time and a quiet city, they found the silver-lining in the situation and enjoyed an engagement shoot empty NYC.

Keep scrolling to see their gorgeous photos by Maison de NYC, read how Emily & Hein met, how he proposed and tips for choosing your own photographer.

How did you and Hein meet?

Emily writes, “We met on a dating app called Coffee Meets Bagel. We both are from a country called Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. There aren’t that many of us here in the United States, so that was absolutely a stroke of luck that we met on a dating site and we both swiped right. He was actually my second date since I joined the dating website. After the first date with him, we both knew we are meant for each other, so we both decided to leave the dating app.”

How did he propose?

“He proposed to me on my birthday,” Emily remembers. “He took me to the Camelback Water Park, a resort on Pocono’s mountain and decided to propose on the way back home. When I walked back to the car with my luggage, he left the ring box on the passenger seat. I was shocked and excited then I opened the ring box and found out there was nothing inside. Then he pulled out another ring box and got on his knee. He just had to play that one last prank on me lol.”

How did you choose your engagement photo photographer?

“Me and my fiancé do a lot of professional photography as a hobby, so we were very meticulous with selecting the right photographer for us,” says Emily.

“After many months of selection, I found my photographer through recommendation from one of my close friends who is also my bridesmaid. She said she would hire Byrant from Maison de NYC if she were to get married. We saw his photos and we were in love with his style and aesthetics.”

“Also one fun fact about my bridesmaids,” she adds. “Two of my bridesmaids got engaged very recently after I asked them to be my bridesmaids. One is actually getting married before me in November.

What were some favorite moments from the photoshoot and being in empty NYC?

“The pandemic is sad, but on the bright side, we made the empty NYC our playground for the photoshoot. It was pretty special to get photos with an empty city background. Something we’ve never seen before. We absolutely had fun without too many people staring at us.”

What are some tips for future couples as they prep for their engagement photos?

“It can be nerve-wracking to pose for pictures in public especially in the city,” notes Emily. “Drink a glass of wine to loosen up a bit, then have fun with the photoshoot. Having the photographer who understands your visions and is easy to work with, helps tremendously as well. It makes the overall process a great thrilling experience.”

She adds, “Don’t forget that planning is part of the fun so make sure to take time and discuss with each other different ideas, clothes and locations of photoshoot, etc. It will be all worth it in the end. We can’t stop looking at our photos. We love how they all came out.”

The Dream Team

Dresses: Reformation and Lane JT

Photographer: Maison de NYC

Ring: Forever Diamonds NY

Shoes: Aldo

Suit: Zara and Topshop