A Surprise Sunset Proposal in Barcelona, Spain

Tiffany and James’ story began on campus at North Carolina A&T’s School of Technology. The pair bonded over their love of tech and design, forging a friendship that would undoubtedly last a lifetime. After graduating from A&T, Tiffany and James relocated to separate cities where they pursued careers in their chosen fields. Within a few years, they reconnected and ultimately fell in love.

During a trip to Spain, where Tiffany was covering Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week for her company, Vows of Style, James designed a plan to cement their love. On the week of Sant Jordi festival, the Catalan equivalent to Valentine’s Day, roses lined the city streets, symbolizing that love was certainly in the air. Aware of her adoration for old-world architecture and scenic views, James took Tiffany to Jardines de Laribal, a serene garden in Barcelona. While she was distracted by a sculpture in the garden, James got down on one knee and asked Tiffany to marry him. The picturesque and intimate setting was the perfect location for their forever love story to continue. See more from their romantic proposal captured by Martina Zancan.

Bride: Tiffany Ricks, 35, Community Engagement Coordinator

Groom: James Howard, 34, Software Engineer

Place of residence: Atlanta, GA

Engagement Shoot Location: Jardines De Laribal, Barcelona, Spain

Wedding date: Sunday, April 23, 2023

Engagement story

Before the globe went into flux, it became a shared dream of theirs to travel to Spain together. A couple of years later, when US travel restrictions lifted, Tiffany and James decided to transform those dreams into reality and travel to Barcelona and Mallorca for the couples’ first overseas getaway. Tiffany was covering Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week for her company, Vows of Style, and James designed a plan to cement their love.

After the surprise proposal followed an impromptu photo shoot, they both can recall the cityscape melting into the glaze of the golden hour shared by sunset over a mountainside. All ephemera that photographer, Martina Zancan, captured for them to hold onto forever.

Were there any memorable moments during the shoot?

The proposal was a complete surprise. James coordinated with Martina to position herself nearby as if she was photographing an old-world relic. He then knelt on cue as Tiffany was captivated by the sculpture and got down on one knee to ask her to marry him. The picturesque and intimate setting was the perfect location for their forever love story to continue. Looking back, their scenic walk to a celebratory dinner with friends at El Xalet de Montjuïc, a nearby gastronomic space that offers Mediterranean cuisine matched with sweeping city views of vistas, rounded off a romantic evening for the two.

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding?

They look forward to sharing their wedding vows and enjoying their honeymoon. Afterward, they anticipate looking back on all those special storybook moments they’ll ultimately miss that day, to be recapped by their videography and photography team.