A Texas Tech graduate has made headlines after her senior year photo shoot turned into a surprise engagement proposal.
Lubbock-based Reese Logan, 21, is a real estate agent and recent college graduate.
On April 8, 2024—a month before her graduation—Ms. Logan was getting her senior photos taken at the Seal of Texas with her boyfriend, 21-year-old Ryan Hartman, and her friends Lauren and Colin—who were there to support her.
Ms. Logan had planned an hour-and-a-half photoshoot with photographer, Brecklyn Kennedy, including a few photos with Mr. Hartman.
“I already expected to take some with him so nothing was out of the ordinary,” Ms. Logan told The Epoch Times. At the end of the shoot, when the photographer asked if they wanted more photos taken, Mr. Hartman immediately said, “Yes.”
At that moment, Lauren went up to Ms. Logan to fix her hair, and the photographer turned around.
“Well, this is kind of weird,” Ms. Logan thought.
The next moment, Mr. Hartman grabbed her hand.
“As soon as I looked at him, I knew what was happening,” Ms. Logan said. “And then, as soon as I saw his face, I was like, ‘No way.’ I just kept saying, ‘No way.’”
She was unaware that Mr. Hartman had already bought a ring and asked her father for her hand in marriage.
Before getting down on one knee, Mr. Hartman told Ms. Logan how much he loved her.
But she clearly remembered him telling her: “Regardless of what happens, we’ve been through so much together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
After the proposal, the couple went to Mr. Hartman’s house, which was beautifully decorated—with flowers and pictures of the couple—to celebrate their engagement with a customized cookie cake and wine.
‘Everyone’s Been Waiting For It’
Mr. Hartman had been planning the proposal for months, having bought the ring in January. Because the couple had designed their graduation rings together, Mr. Hartman was already acquainted with the seller and thus, got Ms. Logan’s ring size from her.
He also coordinated and planned the proposal with the photographer and Ms. Logan’s friends and family.
“I knew [the proposal] was going to be coming up soon, but I didn’t think it would be during my senior photos,” Ms. Logan said, adding that she thought it would happen during graduation.
The couple’s friends and family had been expecting them to get married for a while. “I mean, we have been together for so long,” Ms. Logan said. “Everyone’s been waiting for it.”
She had always teased her boyfriend about being a “bad liar,” and told him that she’d know when he would propose, but the surprise proposal proved her happily incorrect.
Grateful for the Past, Hopeful for the Future
Mr. Hartman and Ms. Logan, who hail from Montgomery, first met at junior high school. Ms. Logan had been a student at The Woodlands and had just started at Montgomery Junior High. After Mr. Hartman and she met, he messaged her on Instagram, and soon their friendship blossomed. Not long after, Mr. Hartman asked her to be his girlfriend.For the next eight years, the couple stayed together, got their real estate licenses after high school, and started the Hartman real estate team. They also both decided to attend Texas Tech. Ms. Logan said they’ve “been through a lot together.”
Ms. Logan graduated on May 11, and Mr. Hartman is slated to graduate this December. The happy couple are planning to get married next spring. Their goals after marriage are to keep building their careers in Lubbock, eventually raise children, travel, and enjoy life with each other.
Needless to say, the special proposal is etched in Ms. Logan’s memories forever.
“It was just like the best feeling in the world,” she said. “I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. It was so special.”
