Have you ever seen a photo so powerful your jaw physically drops and you start to tear up?
That was the reaction I had when I stumbled across photographer Macy Alex’s eclipse photo on TikTok. Because it wasn’t just a photo of the moon covering the sun in totality, but it also captured the moment two people decided that “forever’s gonna start tonight.”
As Macy told Mamas Uncut, the moment she was able to capture so perfectly was dreamed up by the future groom Alex. “He wanted the proposal to be extraordinary and he felt that totality would be full circle for them (figuratively and literally).”
Alex and his future bride, Austynn, have been together for the last five years. Alex “had a hand cut sapphire ring ready to go.”
But when Alex’s original photographer had to cancel on him last minute, he was given Macy’s name. Alex “was a little nervous because he didn’t know me or the area well,” Macy admitted, but that all changed after a “great phone conversation” put them at ease.
“We settled on Murrell Park in Flower Mound, Texas because it has some awesome cliffs overlooking Grapevine lake and I knew I could get under them easier and grab them and the eclipse.” And Macy delivered.
Hours before Alex and Austynn arrived, Macy set up shop. She marked an “x” on the spot where she wanted Alex and Austynn to stand during the eclipse and she “prayed they would find it.”
@macyalexphoto Come with me for the most stressful. Ut rewarding shoot of my career ❤️????????
♬ Total Eclipse of the Heart (Radio Version) – Bonnie Tyler
As Macy shared in her now viral TikTok video, she was “so scared I’m going to mess it up. But it’s so beautiful out here. I think it’s going to be awesome. I just hope it works out the way I want it to.”
When the couple arrived, Austynn didn’t have a clue. She spotted Macy, who waved and said “hello,” only for Austynn to ask her if they were in her way. “I waved her off and said no. They settled in and the rest is history,” Macy said.
“She had zero idea I was there for them and the proposal was just stunning,” Macy told Mamas Uncut. “There was a ton of cheering for the eclipse but when people figured out he was proposing and she said yes, there was even more. A truly magical moment!”
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Magical, indeed.
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