We have had the honor and privilege to help plan and photograph over one hundred surprise proposals. We have definitely learned a lot and want to share some advice if you plan to ask your partner to marry you and want to have great photos of the moment!
Practice With The Ring Box
If you will be carrying the ring in a ring box: Practice taking the ring box out of whichever pocket you will have it in. Also practice opening the ring box away from yourself – this will make sure that you are opening the box towards your partner for that iconic proposal shot. A lot of ring boxes look the same on the top and bottom so make sure you know which is which. You don’t want to open it up upside down!
Be Conscious of the Camera
Be conscious of the camera when you go down on one knee: try to make sure you’re not in between the camera and the ring. You’ll want to be parallel to the background you want when you go down on one knee so I can get both your expressions.
Spend Some Time Down on One Knee
Very important: When you go down on a knee stay down for longer than feels normal. The longer you are on your knee, the more opportunity to have more shots of this moment. If you are planning to say something this is the time to do it (doesn’t have to be a whole speech but a few sentences gives me time to get these iconic shots). I tell this to everyone and still have people who are down for one second (or less!). I don’t know how they are that fast but it really helps us out if you give us 15-20 seconds to get multiple shots from the best angles!
Get Rid of Distractions
Try to help move your partner’s hair all to one side (opposite of the camera) so their hair falls behind their shoulder rather than covering their face. Set down any bulky bags or sunglasses prior to going down on one knee. Make sure to have any distractions out of the way before going down on one knee. Try to bring as little as possible with you. Make sure your partner isn’t holding their cell phone or anything else so they can have their hands free during the big moment!
Enjoy the Moment!
Lastly, take a deep breath right before the moment and as much as you can, relax and enjoy the moment. Take your time, savor it, and don’t rush! A million things will be going through your head during this moment so the more you have practiced and in muscle memory the smoother it will go!
Planning a Nashville proposal soon?
We’re here to help make it a surprise proposal that she won’t forget. Our team of photographers will be there every step of the way, from planning and coordination all the way through capturing those special moments after you pop the question. You can trust us with your biggest moment ever!
We know proposing is a big deal and we want to help make it as special as possible. Our team provides surprise proposal photography for guys who are planning to get down on one knee and ask their partner the question they’ve been waiting forever to hear. We help with the planning, details and coordination so that everything goes off without a hitch. After the proposal we can take photos of the newly engaged couple celebrating together!
When you choose us for your Nashville proposal and engagement photography, we promise that you will have an amazing experience working with our team. We are passionate about what we do and love being able to capture these once in a lifetime moments for people just like you! If this is going to be one of the most important days in your life, then why not let us help make it unforgettable? This will definitely become one of the moments she talks about forever! Let’s get started today so we can start making memories together!
We are photographers based in Nashville, TN but if you are planning a proposal somewhere else in the world we love to travel and if we aren’t available are happy to put you in touch with a local photographer to capture your big moment!