How To Plan Your Perfect Engagement Proposal With a Photographer | Massachusetts Proposal Tips

Planning a proposal is both an exciting step but can also be overwhelming. This is probably your first time planning something like this, so I get it! You want it to be perfect. One of the best ways to make sure you get it right and capture it beautifully is working with a professional engagement photographer. Whether you’re planning on it being a surprise, or disguise it as a photo session, here is how to make it all come together, effortlessly.

Here’s the step by step:

Step 1. Find a Photographer (Hi, it’s me!).

But in all seriousness, check your partner’s Instagram following list and see if they’re following any engagement photographers in your area. If they are, chances are they love their work and would love to have them photograph something like this. If they aren’t following any photographers, Instagram acts as a great search engine. Just search for “Your Area” Engagement Photographer. For this example, you would search “Boston Engagement Photographer” on Instagram & so many options will pop up! You can also try Google searches like “candid engagement photography near me”. This is also a great tool to look up google reviews on photographers that you find on google and/or Instagram.

Step 2. Make a Plan.

Hop on the phone and make a plan with your photographer. Whether you’re planning a sunset beach proposal or a mountaintop porposal in the White Mountains, your photographer will help you plan every detail. You will talk about location, timing, and start making a game plan on how everything will play out. At this point, this is where you decide between two different planned scenarios:

Plan A: “Couples Session” & it turns into a proposal. If you know that your partner would love to get photos taken without rising any suspiscion, this route is for you. In this scenario, your photographer will walk through how they typically set up a prompt to allow you to propose without your partner expecting it during your session.

Plan B: Full surprise and then turn it into a photo session at the end. If your partner is more reserved or would get suspicious if you chose Plan A.

3. Prep for the Proposal. (Option b only)

I suggest that you send your photographer a couple photos of the two of you, a location pin of exactly where you plan to pop the question, and confirm the time that you plan to make it happen. For instance, if you plan to propose in the Boston Public Garden or in the White Mountains, sharing a pin will help your photographer know the exact spot you are planning to propose as these locations have multiple spots the proposal can happen. On the day of, I also suggest that you share your location with your photographer so you don’t have to be on your phone to text updates of how close you are to the proposal spot. Additionally, you should send detailed description of your outfits so your photographer knows exactly who to look out for when they’re hiding or blending in.

4. The Proposal.

Plan A: So you’ve met up with your photographer, you’ve gotten some photos done, and your photographer starts to describe the prompt that you discussed beforehand which will kick off the proposal. Just one exmaple of a prompt would be: “Face away from each other & when I count to three, turn around and embrace each other like you haven’t seen each other in years”. When your partner turns around, that is when you get on one knee & when they turn around, they are completely surprised! If your partner prefers a more candid vibe, we can chat through a plan that makes the most sense for this vibe!

Plan B: You’ve successfully prepped all logistics and your photographer knows exactly where to be & what time. They know what you two are wearing and spot you walking to your proposal location and are ready to capture the moment! Your photographer should know exactly how to capture the emotion and surprise without interrupting the experience, so they may use a zoom lens so they can stay further back to achieve this. The final thing to do is get on one knee & ask the question.

5. Post-Proposal Photos.

The nerve-wracking part is over, now it’s time to get some photos taken! I typically offer a photo session directly after you propose that you can use for save-the-dates, wedding websites, or to announce your engagement on social media. This also gives you a chance to get more of this exciting time captured. You two are riding that high of being newly engaged and it is always a lovely way to encapsulate this feeling!

If you’re planning a proposal in Massachusetts or anywhere in New England (or beyond), and want it documented, I would love to photograph your proposal! Let’s plan the perfect proposal together. Reach out to book your engagement photographer! Reach out to Jess!