{This photo was taken less than an hour after Tony proposed}

My mom decided to take crazy to a whole new level when Tony proposed last December. And it wasn’t an “in the moment, I got over-excited” type of thing. She had been plotting a slightly different version of the above photo shoot since Tony had asked for her and my dad’s permission to propose months earlier.

{Snowman’s daughter generously photographed my mom’s bizarre fantasy, which lasted a solid 25 minutes}

I’ve been on the fence about sharing these for a while (almost a year) now, because I wasn’t sure if they were funny-crazy, or just crazy-crazy. I think they’re the latter, but also too crazy not to share.

{She thought out all of her poses. This was her “it’s natural and totally normal to throw rose petals on someone after they propose” pose}

As soon as Tony asked them for my hand in marriage, my mom started scheming. She thought it would be the best Christmas card OF ALL TIME EVER if, right after Tony proposed, we staged a photo shoot where it looked like my dad had a heart attack. My mom had it all planned out: Tony would get back down on his knee, I would pretend to be happy-shocked, my brother’s joy would be so great he’d spontaneously toss rose petals he happened to have on hand, my dad would have a heart attack, and my mom would try to affably revive him with champagne while grinning for the camera. In her mind, this was the perfect way to celebrate her daughter getting engaged.

{And this was her “candid, I’m toasting my daughter and look happy-but-not-too-happy and wise at the same time” pose}

My dad screwed it all up, though, when he refused to lie in the snow. “It’s cold,” he said. “I don’t want to get wet,” he said. “Our daughter just got engaged, and this seems inappropriate,” he said. She was pissed. They got in a mini-fight, and compromised on my mom having the “heart attack” instead. She was not happy, as it was “funnier and more realistic” for him to have a heart attack, and also she hadn’t practiced how to make her neck look for this new pose. But she decided to go for it anyway. And, as I’m learning with every other wedding-related decision, it’s easier for all parties involved to not fight her on what she wants. After all, “it’s not ABOUT you,” as she likes to remind me… (About my wedding.)

{Her “closest to normal” pose, which is mirroring me exactly}

She’d been acting bizarrely all day – in retrospect, I’m shocked I didn’t suspect the proposal was coming. When Tony and I were out the door to go for a walk (that would end at his proposal spot), my mom blurted loudly “I HOPE YOU’RE WEARING SUNSCREEN” (even though it was getting dark out), and then she giggled maniacally. That entire day, she just could not stop herself. She was too excited about getting a son-in-law.

{Tony, immediately after proposing}

But, to be fair, I made Tony re-enact his proposal moments after actually proposing, so I could take the above picture to remember that moment forever. Where do you think my crazy comes from?