Surprise Engagement Photos Done Right—Here’s How!
When an inquiry for surprise engagement photos popped up in my inbox from Mike, I expected the usual, “can you help me plan, follow us on our walk, and wait for me to get on one knee?” But that wasn’t his plan. And while I do really love a sweet surprise proposal photoshoot, this one left me feeling like I needed to share his alternative option with my soon-to-be engaged guys, gals, and non-binary pals. So if you’re thinking about proposing and planning a surprise engagement photo session, but aren’t sure how you or your partner feel about them, READ THIS!
Steal Mike + Brittany’s Surprise Proposal Plan For Yourself
Here’s what made Mike’s plan absolutely brilliant—he wanted their Glacier National Park vacation to be about celebrating their engagement, not just capturing it. Using my location guide (which all my couples get!), he scouted out the perfect proposal spots for their first days but easily disguised them as just some laid-back exploring. His reasoning? “I want to spend our vacation being your fiancé.” (No really, Brittany told me these exact words came out of his mouth, a lucky girl she is!!!)
Instead of surprising Brittany with both a proposal AND a photographer, he captured their special moment himself with a video. This meant she could be completely present in the moment, wearing exactly what she wanted, without wondering why her partner was dragging her to a specific spot at a specific time acting all weird.
THEN he told her had booked me for engagement photos the next day. They planned their engagement session together. Brittany got to shop for outfits she felt amazing in, and they saved some of Glacier’s most beautiful spots for our shoot so they could experience them together for the first time. While getting engagement photos. And that my friends, is surprise engagement photos done right!
Dancing Our Way Through A National Park Engagement Session
The universe was on Mike + Brittany’s side that evening. The forecast was calling for 6-12 inches of snow (in Glacier, anything’s possible). It had rained the entire day before, was supposed to rain all day after, but minutes before we met at St. Mary’s the clouds parted just enough to give us that moody sky and Montana mountain magic that GNP is known for!
We spent the evening exploring secret trails and hidden spots, and these two were absolutely vibing! When Brittany wasn’t sure what to do, she just started dancing—which honestly cracked me up and made for the most natural, in-the-moment photos! I love to leave space for that awkward what do I do moment just to see what you might do organically. Let your authenticity shine.
We did a quick swap to their hiking clothes, something totally comfy and normal for them (which I highly suggest for an engagement session!). And then we ended the adventure exactly how they always do—two ham, turkey, and cheese sandwiches (Brittany’s with the crust cut off). They cheers’d and shared their traditional hiking snack on an adorable little bridge, chit-chatting away! An entire surprise proposal, mountain getaway, and engagement session completely true to them.
Got Questions About Planning Your own Surprise Engagement Photos?
I’ve helped plenty of mastermind partners who wanted to pull off popping the question and make sure someone was there to capture it all!
Like this snowy surprise proposal in the mountains!
And these proposal photos that are the sweetest!
And obviously Brittany + Mike! (Keep going to peek at their images!) So start brainstorming, contact me using this link, and let me know what you’re thinking! These shoots are some of my favorites, so let’s plan yours together!
