Miriam & Julius

Posted Monday, February 28, 2011 11:17 AM

A good friend of mine, Pat Wright, contacted me a while back asking if I would model some technique work for his couple shoots. He's an amazing photographer here in Columbia, SC, so I figured why not help him out? Pat suggested that I select a male partner that I was comfortable modeling with, as the poses would be specifically for couples. I was so excited because my boyfriend at the time, Julius, was scheduled to be in Columbia for the majority of July. He works in Charleston and we were really looking forward to being in the same city for a while. Of course, I asked Julius if he would do the shoot with me and he hesitated a bit but eventually agreed.

The shoot was scheduled on a hot Sunday afternoon. I asked Pat what he wanted us to wear, and he suggested matching colors that would look good against the green backdrop. Julius and I picked out matching shirts and made plans to meet Pat at the Riverfront Park in downtown Columbia.

When we arrived, I introduced Pat and Julius to each other because as far as I knew, they hadn’t met before. At least, that's what I thought. Pat was accompanied by an assistant and had all of their fancy equipment set up. We started the shoot with a few simple poses, and I was having so much fun! Julius and I love taking pictures together. I've done a bit of modeling on my own, but it was even more enjoyable to share it with Julius.

Pat mentioned that he wanted to try some Christian-inspired poses. He proceeded to pull out a beautiful, mahogany basin and a gallon of water and instructed Julius to wash my feet. As hot as it was outside, I didn't mind a little contact with water! When Julius began the foot washing, he asked Pat if he could talk to me. Pat insisted that it was fine because our faces would not be in the shot. Julius began saying, "You know, today we've been dating for 899 days."

"That's great," I thought. "Tomorrow will be 900!"

Julius continued telling me how he's loved me from the day we met and has sought the Lord for guidance about our relationship. Somewhere in all of this, I began to realize that this wasn't just a photo shoot. As he continued washing my feet, Julius said that he desired to love me as Christ loved the church. After Pat gave us the cue that he was pleased with the photos and thanked us for our time, Julius picked up the towel to dry my feet off and pulled out this tiny jewelry box. I knew exactly what was going on and was blown away by his love! Still on one knee, he opened the box, revealing a beautiful diamond ring, and asked, "Would you do me the honor and spend the rest of your life with me -- will you be my wife?"

After a lot of screaming and joy, I eventually managed to say yes! Pat was still snapping pictures as my family walked from around the corner, another huge surprise, to celebrate our engagement. Julius later explained that in John 13:12-17, we see Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. This task was usually reserved for the person that was lowest on the totem pole. But Jesus, in his great humility, gave them a perfect example of what servant leadership looks like. This is simply a symbolic gesture of what he hopes to do for the rest of our lives. The proposal was perfect, and I'm so excited about becoming his wife!

Photos by: Pat Wright Photography(PatWrightPhotography.com)