iris + kyle | GEORGIA TECH PROPOSAL

Iris is my twin – at least, that’s how we like to introduce each other. I knew of her long before we ever actually met. All throughout high school, when my friends asked if I had been at the mall just yesterday, or if I had gone out the other night to Waffle House, I had the constant sense of some mysterious local doppleganger. A girl that knew both of us finally made the connection – “Cassie, there is a girl at Northview High School that looks JUST like you!”

(Less true nowadays, as Iris steadfastly prepares beautiful and tasty salad creations for lunch, and I eat cheese fries when I remember to eat.)

For all other intents and purposes, Iris is really my twin. So I can’t begin to tell you guys how happy I was when her boyfriend Kyle asked me to photograph their proposal!

Iris and Kyle met back in college chemistry lab and what started off as a friendship of sharing notes and late-night lab assignments soon became a relationship. They have a wonderful sense of hospitality and love nothing better than to host their friends for open-air grill outs and drinks. Even back in college (and on a budget), I remember watching crazy foreign films with them and eating all of Kyle’s amazing baked goods creations. Hand-in-hand with Kyle’s passions for travel and international cooking, there’s nobody quite like Iris when it comes to making a place feel like home. Their place together in Midtown is one of the sweetest little spaces I’ve ever been in, and they regularly host friends and family from all over the world!

After 6 years together, it can be tough to plan a surprise proposal. They had regularly talked about their future lives together, but Kyle knew he still wanted the moment of the proposal to totally blow Iris away. So how did he do it?

Kyle had recently bought a new camera and suggested to Iris that they take a photo walk around Georgia Tech that night before dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, The Iberian Pig. After having been told the ring (which Kyle had custom-designed!) wouldn’t be ready for another few months, Iris had no idea the proposal was coming so soon! They arrived at Georgia Tech and visited all their favorite spots together. Close to sunset, up on top of the Clough Undergraduate building, Iris held her breath as she looked at the skyline views all around.. was this the moment?! Kyle bent down on one knee.. and then promptly got up after tying his shoe. Nope, not yet.

Just one more place to check out before dinner, he told her.

From behind a bush, I watched the two come down the pathway..

After congratulating the two, I apologized for running off so quickly and ducked out for my “dinner plans”.. and immediately drove to The Iberian Pig in Decatur, where many of Iris and Kyle’s friends were waiting with flowers and sparklers ready! So many of their friends came in from out of town (even from out of the country!) to celebrate this special occasion.

I was so honored to have been a part of this beautiful proposal session. I loved every moment of the planning, from my Facetime sessions with Kyle (including that great moment where we realized the night before that our original proposal site, the Tech Tower, was completely CLOSED for construction), to the constant chatter of our proposal planning group text, to watching the creation stages of that beautiful bespoke ring by Lisa at Linhardt Design. I loved every detail, from watching Kyle carefully put away his glasses before holding out the ring box, to the way he looked at her all night, to seeing Iris’s face light up as she realized just how many of her friends and family were in on this special moment.

Congratulations to Iris and Kyle!