After wearing an elaborate disguise to photograph the happy couple’s engagement surreptitiously, a groom’s best pal has been praised as “the most loyal best man ever.”

Timothy Hopkins and Cody Garcelon were childhood pals. Cody, 25, leapt at the chance when Timothy asked him to shoot his surprise engagement.

This was no average photoshoot, nor was the photographer. Cody figured it was the perfect occasion to have some fun with his pal, and he planned to go in disguise, unbeknownst to Timothy.

Fortunately, he documented his journey from insurance agent to hip photographer on TikTok. His new outfit comprised a Kurt Cobain-style wig, sunglasses, and he even bleached and shaved his beard into a goatee, demonstrating his dedication to the objective.

With his disguise in place, the amateur ‘paparazzi’ approached the engagement couple’s rendezvous in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, US, and waited for the moment of their proposal.

Cody manages to capture the sweet moment when Timothy proposes to his fiancée, Casey, despite his lack of photographic skills.

Cody’s photography character elicited both respect and laughs from Timothy. “I was shook – I think I was more nervous than Tim,” the best man admitted. What if she [Casey] sees me? Then I’ve wrecked it. It was quite tense.

“They turned around for a split second.” Tim knew I was going to do something, but he couldn’t tell what I looked like since he was laughing so hard. Then he revealed who I was to Casey, who came out laughing.”

However, Cody’s metamorphosis was complicated when ten wigs arrived at his house instead of just one, charging a whopping $201 to his bank account.

Cody’s passion to his objective prompted a buddy to call him “the most dedicated best man ever.” Despite the fact that his disguise caused him pain – bleaching his beard burned his flesh – he refused to change anything.

“I was overjoyed when I pulled it off,” Cody remarked, “particularly for them.” It had been bothering me all week. Tim and I are siblings.

His family treats me as if I were their own, and my family treats him as if he were one of their own.

“His family has done so much for me over the years, and I’m delighted God saw fit to make us best friends,” he said. “Through thick and thin, we’re by each other’s sides.”

While Tim was pleased with Cody’s disguise, he admitted that he likes Cody’s natural appearance. “I wouldn’t say I was startled [by what he’d done] – I was more shocked by his appearance and how hideous he looked,” Tim quipped.

“I was practically pleading with him to remove his beard when he got it.”