February 22, 2022

5 Tips for Planning a Surprise Proposal

Creating the ‘perfect’ surprise proposal can feel like a lot of pressure when the time comes that you are ready to propose. How do you make sure her nails are done? Or that it’s captured on camera? Where do you do it? And how do you keep her from getting suspicious? As a wedding photographer, I’ve helped with quite a few surprise proposals. I’ve compiled a list of tips from my experience in case you are looking for a place to start!

Hire a photographer to document the proposal. If you are planning to include a photographer in your proposal, this is one of the first things you should do! We book out weeks in advance, especially for weekends. If you aren’t trying to stick to a week, Friday’s are often open!
Make sure your photographer has the right gear (meaning a big zoom lens) so they aren’t in your face! I don’t want to be too close during the actual proposal so that you have your moment together, so I am often pretty far away until I think it is the right time to join.
Keep your conversations and anything on your phone/computer/laptop hidden so you don’t spoil the suprise!
If you are proposing outdoors, make sure to have a back up plan ready to go with your photographer.
Plan the proposal around a time when another big event is happening. Then you won’t need to make up an excuse to get dressed up!

Make the Proposal About Your Relationship

While there are a lot of ways to go about proposing, the most important aspect to remember is to stay true to who you are, what your partner likes and your relationship with one another. No matter how you choose to pop the question, it will be a special day for both of you!

Downtown Austin Surprise Proposal

Now, for the sweetest Austin proposal – Sierra + Chandler! It was so much fun to help Chandler put this day together and it’s safe to say Sierra was happily surprised! After the proposal, we spent about 30 minutes taking photos around the Long Center and Audiotorium Shores and you can’t help but feel how in love these two are with each other!