Before She Took Her Sister's Engagement Photos, She Practiced on Her Parents. The Results Are the Sweetest (Exclusive)

• In January, Annie Helmes' older sister's boyfriend, Jake, called her to share that he'd bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose
• At the time, Jake also asked Annie if she’d take on the role of photographer for the special occasion. Upon hearing this, Annie, an engineer, felt both nervous and excited
• In March, when the time for the proposal came around, Annie flew in from San Francisco to New York just two days before the big day. When she arrived, she was greeted by her parents, who’d bought a new camera for her to use for the photos — one she’d never used before
• Upon seeing the camera, the nerves kicked in. Then, Annie got an idea: take practice photos on her mom and dad

Back in January, Annie Helmes' older sister's boyfriend, Jake, called her one night to share that he'd bought an engagement ring and was planning to propose to her sister. She was the first person he called, hoping to ensure that Annie, a 24-year-old structural engineer living in San Francisco, could fly out to New York for the big moment. At the time, Jake also asked Annie if she’d take on the role of photographer for the special occasion. Upon hearing this, Annie felt both nervous and excited.

"I immediately called my mom and told her I was so stressed about being the photographer and maybe we should hire a professional — [my sister] probably wants that," Annie tells PEOPLE exclusively. "Alas, Jake was insistent on having us take the photos."

In March, when the time for the proposal came around, Annie flew in from San Francisco to New York just two days before the big day. For the previous two weeks, she had turned off her location so her sister, Maggie, couldn’t track her. Not only did her sister have no idea she was about to be proposed to, but she also had no clue that Annie was even in New York.

When Annie arrived, she was greeted by her parents, who’d bought a new camera for her to use for the photos — one she’d never used before. Upon seeing the camera, the nerves kicked in. Then, Annie got an idea.

The Friday afternoon before the Saturday engagement, she asked her parents if they would go walk outside at home so she could practice with the camera’s lighting and zoom. Right away, they were on board. But then, they shocked Annie by taking the moment more seriously than she imagined, reenacting their own proposal.

"I didn’t expect to actually get such cute photos," Annie says. "I didn’t explicitly ask them to pose or anything, but I’m not surprised they did. My parents are pretty goofy, so they really took the task and ran with it. My dad even has a bad knee, so the commitment was 100% there."

"I think the most special part about taking the photos of my parents is that they were taken in the same yard they actually had their wedding in, 33 years ago," she adds. "My parents met when they were 12, started dating in the 10th grade, and have pretty much been together ever since. Our house was built on the field they got married in. My dad actually proposed using his high school yearbook. His senior quote was 'Yum - ODYBMW,' translating to 'Yum, my mom’s silly nickname - One Day You’ll Be My Wife.' "

"When he proposed in December of 1990, he covered up the 'One Day You’ll' and changed it to 'Will you…' Knowing this, I didn’t quite realize how special it would be to see them now, 33 years later, in the same spot where they said their initial 'I dos,' " she continues.

Only 12 hours after the practice shots with her parents, Annie and Jake's siblings made their way over to Pier 46 of the West Side Highway in New York City to capture the true proposal on camera. They waited for almost 45 minutes, tracking Maggie's every move with "Find My Friends." They sat with their backs facing the couple, and when Maggie turned to walk onto the pier, they trailed behind.

She was beyond nervous that her sister was going to see her, or that the photos would turn out badly; the photos of her parents were the only practice ones she'd done. And in classic N.Y.C. engagement fashion, of course, they got some dog walkers and joggers in the way right as Jake was getting down on one knee.

But later, when Annie and her sister went to look at the photos she'd captured, alongside the ones of their parents, they were filled with joy.

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"My sister can be brutally honest, so when she loved the photos, I knew I had done well," Annie says. "The whole day she could not stop saying that it was 'the best day of her life,' so I was just thrilled to be able to document it for her. And showing the side-by-side of my parents to her after the fact was also fun. It was just so fun for us to have all these surprises for her to slowly unveil — first the actual proposal, then the realization that I was the one taking the photos and that I was physically even there, and then all of the other extra things we had planned for her and not planned for her, including showing the unplanned practice photos of Mom and Dad."

"I think the ring shot is really special — of both Maggie and my mom," she adds. "As the person behind the camera, I could feel all of the love and happiness Maggie had showing off her ring, but I think what is even more special is I could feel it from my mom, too, who has had that ring on her finger for far longer."

Not long after the proposal, Annie took to TikTok to share some of the photos she'd taken of her sister's engagement, along with the ones of her parents. She didn't think much of the video, but then she watched as it went viral, amassing nearly 400,000 views.

"I am not quite sure that either of my parents actually fully understand how TikTok works, but after I posted it and saw it was getting some traction, I immediately sent it in our family group chat," Annie says. "They loved it. My mom kept sending updates of how many views it was getting and made sure to like every comment. My dad said, 'This might be my in to acting.' "

"I am an emotional person, so I definitely teared up at a lot of the comments on the video," she says. "I feel luckier than ever. It was amazing how many people could tell by the photos of my parents how in love they still are. Maggie and I know it, but it’s telling when a stranger on the Internet tells you that, too. That, and one actual wedding photographer gave me kudos, which also felt really good as a non-photographer."

Annie adds how she hasn't quite decided yet what to do with the photos; however, she will probably get most of them printed and create a side-by-side frame of the two couples as a gift.

"I hope people take away whatever they want to take away from it — if it encourages someone to have a special bonding moment with their sibling, their sibling’s partner, their parents, whoever — I think I will feel like I made a mini impact," she says. "I also want to encourage people to step outside of their comfort zone! I design buildings for a living, I don't take photos."

"I have no plans for future shoots," she adds, "but I had so much fun taking the photos that maybe a new passion project is coming my way…"