Did you know that winter is the most popular time to get engaged? With all the holiday festivities and the closeness of family during the holiday season, it’s not hard to see why winter is engagement season!
This winter I photographed a proposal for the first time, and I’m so excited to document more! It was so incredibly sweet. John had reached out to me and told me of his plans to propose. He booked a little weekend getaway at the Postcard Cabins in Lapeer for them- a little special trip to commemorate how long they’ve been together. After seeing the cabins, I definitely am booking a trip for myself and my husband somewhere. They’re so incredibly cozy and were the perfect proposal spot.
For this proposal, I hadn’t been to Postcard Cabins before so we got there quite a bit early to scout out locations. When doing sessions that require me to be in the middle of the woods with no cell phone service, I usually bring my husband. I normally get to know my couples very well but with proposals, it’s usually a last minute session and I don’t get to connect with both of them like normal. I always joke that my husband is my bodyguard, but the truth is he’s very resourceful and helped me find the best location proposal-wise. He did propose to me after all.
The Cabins in Lapeer were very serene and quiet. We were in deep woods with snow covering everything. While it was beautiful, the snow was easily up to my knees out in the woods making it a little hard to walk around. We found large enough tree trunks to hide behind and waited for the couple to arrive. With the trees obviously lacking foliage, I was pretty much confined to one spot to avoid being seen. I was heavily dressed in Carhartt gear (which is not the norm for sessions) since we were in deep woods-snow pants, hoodies, hats & gloves. It was incredibly cold out! I watched the couple pull in, unload their bags into the cabin, and then walk out to the proposal spot. While I love photographing proposals, I always feel like a creeper hiding behind things and watching (haha). The proposal happened, she said yes, and we spent some time taking winter portraits before I left them to celebrate the rest of the weekend.
Planning a Proposal
When planning a proposal, there’s a lot to think about! Location, ring design, who’s going to be involved, etc. So let’s start with the basics!
Assuming you already have a ring, let’s talk location. As a photographer, I do a lot of location scouting across the state for weddings and sessions. There are so many different options in Michigan- beaches, woods, boardwalks, the city. If you want to incorporate a sentimental location, I highly recommend it to make the proposal extra special! My own proposal was sentimental to me and I wouldn’t change a thing! I’m always happy to offer suggestions with locations and scout it out for you. I try to find areas tucked away from crowds to give you as much privacy as possible, and I also am usually using a longer lens to capture it at a distance (especially if it’s a secret that you hired me). Using a longer lens allows me to give you the distance for your private moment- I use the same one for private vows during wedding days!
