Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles star Josh Flagg created the sweetest stir last Thursday, July 14, when he pulled off a flash mob marriage proposal in Paris, France.
During the incredible trip abroad, Flagg employed the help of 40 dancers on Bastille Day, as part of his elaborate plan to propose to his boyfriend, Bobby Boyd. The reality star’s grand scheme — and the behind-the-scenes planning process — will be featured on Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles on Bravo this fall, and the video company that captured the sweet moment speaks exclusively with The Knot.
ZEN Film Works cinematographer Chris Nemes, who captured Flagg’s inventive engagement in the middle of the iconic Four Seasons Hotel George V, shared a preview trailer on Vimeo last week. “Josh decided to propose to his love at the hotel George V in Paris,” Nemes wrote. “The George V is special to Josh as he visited the hotel many times with his beloved Grandmother, Edith Flagg … Bobby never wanted to visit Paris until he was in love and this trip was certainly a great way to start.”
Trailer | Josh + Bobby | A Proposal in Paris | Zen Film Works from Zen Film Works on Vimeo.
Nemes offered more exclusive details about the romantic proposal while chatting with The Knot on Wednesday, July 20. “There were a few challenges to deal with on this shoot as there are with most proposals,” Nemes explains. Along with their original outdoor courtyard venue being rained out, extra road blocks and security in preparation for the Bastille Day parade added a whole hour to their trip to the George V, and there was the small matter of keeping the proposal a surprise.
“Our usual style of filming is to be pretty discrete, however to keep up the charade and not let Bobby feel that he was the star of this film until the proposal itself was quite the challenge,” the cinematographer says. With Bobby being a “very observant fellow,” Nemes recalled how quickly and effectively he also needed to hide microphones on Flagg and his mother and father, stealing them away from Boyd in a way that wouldn’t raise suspicions.
As the flash mob danced to some of Boyd’s favorite songs it became clear to him that the performance was something special. He held back tears as Flagg held him close, sharing an emotional kiss that was captured and posted on Flagg’s Instagram on Monday.
“Only once in a lifetime, do you have the privilege of falling in love with your best friend and love of your life. I truly am blessed,” he captioned the photo days after Boyd said “yes” to his Parisian flash mob proposal. “On Bastille Day, July 14, Bobby and I were engaged…It was truly the most spectacular moment in both of our lives!”
“I guess we found our match,” Flagg tells Boyd in the clip, as he reads his prepared speech before dropping to one knee. “I want to travel the world with you, I want to find new places with you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He presented the engagement ring to Boyd while struggling to maintain composure asking, “Robert will you marry me?”
“Bobby’s reaction and his obvious welling of emotion had me tearing up while I was shooting,” Nemes shared exclusively with The Knot. “There were only smiles and love in the room the whole time. The dancers cheered and clapped insanely loud and it really enhanced the experience.” Adding that Flagg had no specific proposal filming instructions for the ZEN Film Works’ cinematographer, Nemes told us, “He trusted us to know what and how to shoot, so his words were ‘just make it as beautiful as you can, I trust you,’ so we did.”
Finding my best friend and soul mate is a gift I will never take for granted ❤️#paris🇫🇷
A photo posted by Bobby Boyd (@bboydla) on
Boyd, too gave followers a glimpse of their romantic French getaway, sharing a photo of the same-sex couple kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower and writing, “Finding my best friend and soul mate is a gift I will never take for granted.”
