Surprise Proposal Tips!
Dylan and Jen scheduled a couples photoshoot with me for before Dylan left for his deployment. We knew that we wanted some amazing pictures for Dylan to have while he was thousands of miles away, and for Jen to have around their house. When the day came, Jen arrived prepared for a couples photoshoot but Dylan had a whole other surprise for her.
A few days before their pictures were scheduled, Dylan called me and asked if he could propose during the pictures. I couldn’t have felt more honored, excited, and nervous all at once. I knew we would absolutely rock the pictures, but that’s a lot of pressure, no matter how many times you do it! Haha! I don’t even remember how much I slept the night before.
Dylan and I chatted and game up with a game plan, and I gave him allll the tips below. We were both on the same page, he was able to pull off a surprise proposal, and Jen had it all documented without even realizing that’s what we were doing!
If you are planning on proposing during pictures, here are some tips!
-Have a ring or whatever you’re proposing with
-Probably make sure that they have their nails done or cleaned up (honestly it’s not a HUGE deal but a lot of people do wish their nails were clean/polished perfectly for those first ring pics!)
-Call your photographer and make a plan together, whether that’s a code word, or a specific pose (like how I put Jen in a “looking away” pose and pretended to do the same for Dylan, before asking her to turn and look at each other. Dylan knew this was the code so he knew when to get down on one knee).
-Have your ring box/ring hidden. We don’t want to see a box in your pocket during the pictures before the actual proposal, your future fiancé will notice, your photographer will notice, the people walking down the street will notice, just don’t do it. Dylan had a flat box and shoved it in his sock before proposing. You can also sneak it to your photographer at the beginning of the session if that feels more comfortable.
-Make sure your session is somewhere meaningful for your proposal. We were originally going to go to a nature reserve but a couple days before they asked if we could change the location to the land they will be building their future home on (also they claimed they couldn’t see the sunset from there which was clearly a lie haha). It is much more meaningful for Jen and Dylan that they got engaged at such an important place in their lives.
-Make sure to live in the moment. Your photographer will get all the emotions, you just worry about what you’re going to say and their reaction, not the pictures.
-Relax, breathe, and know everything will be okay. When I photograph proposals during an already scheduled photos, I do about 4-5 poses (at max) before, then give you the sign, so you only have to have the nerves for a couple minutes before you can pop your question. After that, you’re more relaxed and they’re so excited and the session goes so much more smoothly. Plus, they’re not going to care too much about those 4-5 poses before the ring was on their finger. Haha!
Looking to propose during pictures? Let me help you through every step AND get your authentic, emotional memories captured.
