I said YES! Will and I got engaged on August 8, 2025, and it was the most perfect day. Our love story has been in the making for 6 years, and I am so excited I get to marry my absolute best friend! As this moment is super special, I wanted to share a blog with all the photos and behind-the-scenes content to share this memorable day with all of you! When it came to the engagement, Will planned everything, and it turned out absolutely flawless. If you want to watch our proposal video or the behind-the-scenes content from the day, both videos are now live on my channel!

I want to really dive in today and share the amazing details of our special day. Will chose the date 8/08 because it meant “new beginnings,” and here we are, with our new beginning as the future Camps!

When we were heading to Central Park, I originally thought I was getting ready for a bridal editorial photoshoot. You may be thinking, “Lauren… Isn’t that so obvious?!” And I would have normally said “Yes it is!” However, my friends did a really good job of telling me I was pretty much crazy. and it wasn’t going to happen. I have also modeled for Alabama Wedding Magazine and Charleston Weddings, along with Bridal Fashion Week in the City. So, the more I thought the day over, the more I gaslit myself into thinking the engagement wasn’t happening that morning. Will and I have been together for years, so every time before this that I thought it could potentially be happening, I was obviously wrong.

Will said he knew that I didn’t know what was going to happen based on the way I was acting in the morning. Typically, if I have a big shoot or event I’m stressed about, I wake up super early to give myself time to get ready and have some quiet time. Since I thought it was a modeling shoot, I was as cool as a cucumber. I stayed out super late drinking wine with one of my girlfriends the night before, and I gave myself minimal time to get ready in the morning. I wasn’t worried about my hair holding curls or the giant bruise on my leg. Heck, I got into the taxi with my pink crocs on!

We got to the first spot, which was a beautiful fountain in Central Park. This was for the “floral company,” and the theme was a Central Park elopement. So, for the first part of the morning, everyone called it “The Fake Shoot” because it was just to cover up the engagement. I was decked out with pearl gloves, pearl heels, a fake ring, headband, and a stunning bouquet. As with anything work related, I had my “serious, in the zone, professional” face on (as my friends who were shooting said). Since I thought I was hired for a “job,” I was very professional and stayed focused throughout the morning.

After about thirty minutes, we started to walk to the next location which would be where Will popped the question. The girls were doing a great job distracting me, so I didn’t even realize how nervous and fidgety Will was. They removed all of the accessories I had on and told me the next spot was where the “ceremony” would be. As we walked over to the Ladies Pavilion, I saw a couple getting married on the rock across from us! The pavilion that overlooked The Lake in Central Park was covered with pinks, greens, and cream florals. “Lover” by Taylor Swift started playing, and apparently, that was everyone’s cue that it was about to happen!

Will and I walked up to the pavilion and started posing for “The Ceremony.” Typically, when Will and I model together or take photos, he will look at me and say sweet comments like “you’re so beautiful,” “I love you so much,” and what other sweet words he can think of. This started during our first photoshoot in February of 2020 when a photographer told him to whisper things in my ear. Back then, he used to whisper “fruit loops” or “honey nut cheerios.” So, this seemed normal to me. However, a few words in I noticed Will was tearing up. I immediately moved my hand down his blazer and felt the ring box, and then I started tearing up. The whole time Will was talking, it was just me and him, and I didn’t notice anything or anyone around us. I have been dreaming of this day since I was a little girl, and it was so surreal to have this happen on a perfect morning in my dream city with my best friend in front of me.

I was so overwhelmed with emotion, it was like my legs couldn’t stand! I bent down (not once, but several times) because of all the emotion, love, and “I can’t believe this is happening” moments! It was funny to look back on the photos where I was actually lower than Will when he was down on one knee! I obviously said YES, and the best day of our lives was ahead of us. We popped champagne, and Will had scheduled us for a mini shoot in Central Park after the proposal.

After the proposal, we headed to Bethesda Terrace and Fountain for our photoshoot. We’ve taken photos there plenty of times before, but this time was different. The whole park felt different. It wasn’t the Central Park I wandered through at sixteen dreaming of one day moving to New York City and falling in love. It wasn’t the park I strolled through on slow, quiet mornings. It was now the place where we got engaged. The place where we promised each other forever.

For lunch, we ate at the Central Park Boathouse. It was a dreamy spot to celebrate after the proposal. We had a seat overviewing The Lake, and we watched the rowboats row past us and saw turtles popping their heads in and out of the water. After lunch, we decided to go in the rowboats, as it is one of our favorite dates we do every year. Once we started rowing past Bow Bridge, we realized we could row to our exact engagement spot! We spent our time on the rowboat enjoying the beautiful sunny weather and talking about all the months of prep Will did for this special moment.

When Will and I stayed in New York for the first time together, we stayed at Park Lane. He booked us a hotel room for the night at the same hotel overlooking all of Central Park. The rest of the night was spent laughing, crying, dancing, and drinking lots of champagne.

Engagement Details

Will designed my engagement ring last year. He told me when he started ring shopping, he found a couple of rings he really liked but wasn’t sure which one. The more he looked at them, he noticed that one was called “The Fifth Avenue,” and that's when his decision was made. We have a lot of stories on Fifth Avenue in New York, and he saw it as a sign that that specific ring was the one he wanted to model mine after. It is a stunning emerald cut ring with side stones on the yellow gold band. I can’t stop looking at my left hand! Will also put my ring in a baby pink velvet ring box. It was the perfect touch to the moment, and it was so special to see when he got down on one knee.

My dress was bought several years ago from The Tiny Closet (which has since closed down). Who knew when I purchased the dress in college that I would be saying “Yes!” in it!). I actually did my first clothing collaboration with The Tiny Closet, so it was so sweet to get engaged in a dress from a store that I loved so much when Will and I were dating.

The earrings I wore were these beautiful gold and pearl dangle earrings. These actually weren’t what I was originally going to wear, but the original earrings broke right before we left, and I am SO thankful they did. These turned out to be my favorite, and I have to admit, I have been wearing them nonstop since!

These closed toe white heels have been a staple in my closet for years. I removed the pearls for this moment so the heels looked so sleek paired with the dress. I have worn these heels for so many special occasions in my life, and now my engagement day!

Under the dress, I wore these lace white slip shorts. I typically wear these under my dresses but this was especially nice because I didn’t have to worry about jumping, squatting, twirling, etc.

We celebrated with a bottle of Laurent-Perriers, one of our favorite champagnes. Will decided this one was perfect for our proposal day because of the abbreviation “LP.” If you don’t know, my middle name starts with a “P,” and Will said “this is the last few moments you are LP!”

The dress I wore for the after engagement festivities was this gorgeous V Chapman halter dress. This is probably my favorite white dress, and I am SO thankful it has so many memories attached to it.

August 8, 2025. A date that will forever be etched into our hearts. We’re still floating, savoring every magical moment of this season of being engaged, and counting down the days until we can celebrate surrounded by the people we love most. Will thought of everything, making each detail more perfect than I would have ever imagined. I can fully say that every second was worth the wait!