Photo by Emmerly Sherman
But that’s what Karinne Tarshish and Dan Klamet did. And now they’ve famous. Internet famous, anyway. After Karinne posted the photos of their admittedly nontraditional photos on Reddit, things got a little, well, unusual.
“I expected there to be a little buzz,” Dan said. “And it started to spread.”
The story was picked up by news sites around the world putting the couple in a spotlight they weren’t seeking or expecting. The idea came from the fact that neither of them wanted the more traditional engagement photos that couples took.
“That kind of stuff is a little cringeworthy to us,” Dan said. “We wanted to have fun and run with it.”
“It was very much meant to be satirical.” Karinne said. “Most people get it, which is why it’s been popular. I look in the comments and some people don’t get it’s a joke. They think we’re crazy people. We just did it to be funny for our friends and family.”
Getting the shots required two things: Getting to the St. Louis Park Costco shortly before closing where it wouldn’t be as busy as usual and having a photographer in Emmerly Sherman who is talented enough at getting the shots without getting shoppers in the pictures. The one “shopper” on the scooter is Karinne’s dad, and that was a planned photobomb.
“I thought it would be really challenging, but our photographer was alarmingly good at it,” said Karinne who added that they didn’t exactly get Costco’s permission before surreptitiously taking the photos. “The discretion was so good and that she didn’t get anyone in the shot was amazing.”
Karinne and Dan, who are getting married in October, are enjoying the attention but are also expecting it go away.
“Friday and [Monday] was very weird,” Karinne said. “It was very surreal. Not that we’re actually famous. It’ll last for a short amount of time then back to our normal lives. Unless Ellen wants to meet with us. That would be awesome.”
