“Popping the question,” is tough under the best of circumstances, however recently I watched exactly what one guy was willing to go through to get the woman of his dreams to say yes. Shannon Rowe and his girlfriend Stephanie, came to Paradise Palms Inn on vacation from Dallas, Georgia for some rest and relaxation in the “Sunshine State.” Shannon saw this as a chance to propose to the love of his life on the sugar white sands of Panama City Beach. Unfortunately for Shannon, this would not prove to be an easy task. Despite being nerve-wracked because of his plans, Shannon managed to get all the pieces of the puzzle together to make it perfect. He hired a pilot to fly a plane carrying a banner displaying the phrase “Stephanie, will you marry me?” for his girlfriend and the rest of Panama City Beach to see. Shannon contacted me and the staff of Paradise Palms to help out, which we were all happy and eager to help in any way we could. I was to be out there to give the couple a “typical beach photo shoot.” Regrettably, this turned out to be one of the rainiest summers that Florida had seen in a long time. The big day arrived and brought with it torrential downpours and even a Gulf of Mexico waterspout that made several attempts to form. The proposal was forced to be postponed until the following day (fortunately he talked his girlfriend into staying an extra night before driving home).
The following day provided gray skies, a light drizzle and Doppler radar from The Weather Channel that exhibited colors of red, yellow and green covering the Panhandle once again. Shannon was still determined to demonstrate his love for Stephanie so after meeting the couple on the pool deck we headed down to the beach. We made small talk about how “routine” this photo shoot would be and to just have fun with it. Shortly after, as the plane and banner flew overhead, Shannon dropped to his knee and proposed to a teary eyed Stephanie to which her reply was an instant yes. As crowds cheered from the steps of the hotel and on the beach, it proved that determination and true love conquers all obstacles.