Planning the destination proposal in Jackson hole? I’ve got you covered! Planning a surprise proposal is no joke. You have to choose a location, book a photographer, and figure out how you’re going to pop the question! All while trying to make sure that your significant other does not find out about the surprise. Here are a few of my recommendations for planning a surprise destination proposal!

Split The Day

One of my most popular offerings, is to split the day. This means you have the proposal take place in the morning, then meet up again for an epic engagement session. This allows you to spend all day together soaking in the feelings! I recommend the proposal takes place as early in the morning as you can because some locations are just harder to photograph midday. I love this option because you can surprise your significant other without needing to be all dressed up the way that you might want to be for engagement pictures. Then you guys have time to go back to the hotel, get changed and freshened up, and come back for a golden hour engagement session.

Consider the setting you want for your proposal

Consider what you want to do for your proposal. Due to restrictions in the national parks, you are not allowed to set up any kind of props or backdrops. However there are still options surrounding Jackson Hole. The national forest is one spot that allow you to do this. So if you’re considering setting up any kind of a backdrop or things like that, those may or may not be able to take place in the park. A romantic picnic is always a fun idea for either area. This is definitely something your photographer can help you figure out what the best locations would be!

Adventure Session Proposals

Something that has been fun to experiment with has been adventure session proposals. This is where you go on a hike and propose during your adventure. Or go on some other excursion where you can still meet up with your photographer at some point and have them capture that moment. Popular activities for adventure sessions may be snowshoeing, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, 4 wheeling, and more!

Location and Lighting

Consider your lighting when you choose a place to propose. Try to pick a spot that has even lighting. This means no dappled lighting on your faces and no branches coming into the frame that might cause shadows on part of your faces or bodies. Also, preferably not super harsh lighting. Of course, we want to capture the beautifulness and emotional part of these moments and so the lighting situation isn’t always ideal. However having those photos will still be such a cherished momento.

How to find each other and give the signal

Something that I do with my clients is to have them send me a selfie when they’re on their way to the proposal location. This is super helpful because I usually haven’t met my clients before. So if you are proposing, send a selfie to your photographer so that they know what you look like. I do the same back so that they know who to look for.

Discuss your plan for the proposal with your photographer ahead of time how will you communicate with them that you are getting ready to propose? Is it a nod? A thumbs up? Will you be able to talk to them beforehand? These are all things that you need to discuss with them so that they can be ready to photograph you. There’s seriously nothing more nerve-wracking than a proposal!

Enjoy the Proposal!

Let the moment feel right. Don’t rush it. Allow yourself to really just soak in the feelings before and after you propose. As a photographer, I always document the proposal, congratulate the bride and groom, and then give them a couple minutes to themselves to just be excited. To be close and in that moment. And then we go on and snag a few more pictures!