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So you’ve decided to propose and you want to make sure it goes flawlessly. You’re in the right place. As a Northeast Ohio proposal photographer who has helped plan and photograph surprise proposals in the Cleveland and Akron areas, I’ve got some helpful tips to help you make sure your proposal goes off without a hitch. I’ll also walk you through how I worked with R for a surprise proposal with M, so you can see my recommendations in action!

Planning your own surprise proposal in Northeast Ohio? I help with everything from choosing the perfect location to capturing the big moment – check out my proposal photography services here.

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Choose the Perfect Proposal Location in Northeast Ohio

The first step is going to be deciding on the perfect location. I recommend choosing somewhere meaningful to your relationship (maybe the first place you met or where you had your first date) or somewhere simply stunning. Once you’ve decided on your general location, pick out a spot to pop the question. Try to make sure your background is uncluttered and scenic (avoid parked cars, garbage cans, etc.). 

R let me know that downtown Hudson, Ohio was a special spot for him and M. As he was solidifying his plans, I went to downtown Hudson and sent him some photos and videos of several locations I thought would be ideal for the proposal. He then used that to go check it out himself and decided on the perfect location!

Need help with location scouting? This is something I help you with as part of my proposal photography – check out my services here.

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Plan Your Surprise Proposal Timeline

Walk through your plan with your photographer. What does the lead up to the proposal look like? Make sure they know the timeline so they can be in place for you and not give away the surprise.

Leading up to R + M’s proposal, R coordinated with me for recommendations on how best to surprise M. We worked together to plan a reason to be in downtown Hudson and some decoy lunch plans. Having a set time for their lunch plans went a long way in helping R + M be right on time for their surprise proposal! 

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Share Your Location With Your Photographer

This is probably not even on your radar of things to do, but I cannot emphasize how helpful it is for making sure your photographer gets the perfect shot of your proposal (yay technology!). Send a quick text when you’re on your way to the location and start sharing your location with your photographer. They’ll know exactly when you arrive and be waiting for you!

When they were on their way downtown, R shared his location with me. It was a snowy winter day and I would have been super visible in the nearly empty downtown area standing with my cameras and looking around for them. Having his location allowed me to hide and then emerge right when he was popping the question!

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Trust the Process (and Be Ready to Pivot if Needed!)

I get it – this is probably one of the most nervous moments of your life. And things can feel like they are going sideways quickly – maybe there’s traffic or a snow storm or your partner spotted the square-shaped box popping out of your jacket pocket (ahem… side eye directed to me and my now-husband). But trust yourself. If you can still carry out your plan, do the thing. If you need to pivot, it’s not the end of the world. It will all work out. The most important part, afterall, is that you get to pop the question.

When I tell you we were WATCHING the weather, we were WATCHING that weather. Snow was in the forecast, but this was the only day R could make this plan work. The morning of the proposal, there was heavy snow, but luckily, it slowed to a light flurry and then completely went away right as R + M approached the proposal spot. They had the perfect fresh snow coating the ground and it ended up being totally magical. R trusted the process and did the thing!

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Plan Some Time After Your Proposal for Couples Photos

It’s time to celebrate together and show off that engagement ring! You can only really capture the joy and excitement of your proposal day once, so I always recommend adding an extra thirty minutes or so to your time for some fun engagement photos.

After their proposal R + M had a couples photo session in downtown Hudson. They explored the snow-lined streets and got to soak in the joy of their engagement.

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Why You Need a Proposal Photographer in Northeast Ohio

As you can see, a lot goes into planning and photographing a proposal and the moment happens SO QUICKLY. You’ll want to make sure you have a photographer who has photographed proposals – someone who can help guide you through the process, and capture that special moment for you. So don’t stress about how to plan your surprise proposal in Northeast Ohio, hire someone who can help!

I was so happy R trusted me to capture his surprise proposal. Getting to help plan and photograph that special moment for R + M was so meaningful. If you’re looking for a similar experience, you can check out my Northeast Ohio proposal photography services here.