Center ice at the home of perennial Stanley Cup contenders, the Pittsburgh Penguins. What better place for hockey fans Sam and Tatum to get engaged? Here are some photos from their wedding proposal at PPG Paints Arena.
Wedding Proposal at PPG Paints Arena
It took some planning and swearing family members to secrecy but Sam totally surprised Tatum by dropping to his knee for a wedding proposal while on a private tour of PPG Paints Arena. Mission accomplished: She said yes!
I wasn’t going to be the one to spoil the surprise so I crouched down below the boards when Sam and Tatum came out on to the ice. After arriving early I got into position at one of the portals in the glass that photographers use to shoot the Penguins games. The pressure was more intense than I remember it being back when I photographed Penguins games in my newspaper days 😅 I love how the couple’s families were able to share in their happy day.
Tour of the Penguins Locker Room
After some toasts to the couple in Club 66, we headed to the Penguins locker room for some portraits. Tatum made sure that the ring showed in every photo — she was so happy!! The locker room is smaller than you might imagine but it’s actually very clean and orderly. From there the players walk past the guests in the exclusive Club 66 on their way to their bench.
What a blast! And such a sweet couple, too! I’m very grateful that Sam asked me to document this really unique wedding proposal. Congrats you guys!
A special thanks to John from the Penguins staff for being so kind and helpful. Thanks also to the ice crew who made sure that everything looked great and who graciously turned up the lights so that the scene was nice and bright!
These are always so much fun to shoot! Here’s a link to another wintertime wedding proposal.