A Surprise Proposal at Letchworth State Park That Definitely Kept Me on My Toes

I have photographed a LOT of surprise proposals at Letchworth State Park over the years.

At this point, I have a pretty solid system. A couple of days before the proposal, I go over everything with the soon to be fiancé. Where you’re going. Where I’m going to be. Where I need you to stand. Which direction to face. What to do if someone is in our spot. What NOT to do that might make her suspicious. We talk about all the little things that probably seem completely unnecessary until you’re actually standing there with a ring in your pocket trying to remember everything I told you. 😂

I have backup plans for the backup plans.

What I did NOT have a plan for was an entire BUS TOUR showing up approximately 60 seconds before he was supposed to propose.

So… I’ll be adding that one to the list.

Seven Years Together and Months of Planning This Moment

These two have been together for seven years, so this wasn’t a question of whether they knew they had found their person.

They knew.

He had been waiting and planning for months to finally make it official, and we had everything lined up for a beautiful surprise proposal at Letchworth State Park.

I was in position. He knew exactly where he needed to bring her. Everything was going according to plan.

And then suddenly…

PEOPLE.

So. Many. People. 😂

A bus tour had arrived at Letchworth and what had been a perfectly manageable location moments earlier suddenly had people everywhere.

This is the part about photographing surprise proposals that you don’t always see in the finished photographs. Letchworth is a public park. We don’t get to rope off the waterfalls or hang a little sign that says, “PLEASE HOLD, LIFE CHANGING MOMENT IN PROGRESS.”

You have to work with whatever happens.

And when you’re photographing a real proposal, there is no, “Okay, let’s try that again.”

The moment is coming whether you’re ready or not.

Thankfully, we were ready.

Or at least I thought we were. 😂

And Then the Nicest Woman Ever Stepped Directly in Front of Me

They made their way toward our planned spot and somehow, despite the sudden influx of people, everything was still working.

He was doing exactly what we had planned. She didn’t suspect a thing.

Perfect.

Then the sweetest woman saw the two of them and offered to take their picture.

Which, under literally any other circumstance, would have been incredibly nice.

Except I was already there to take their picture.

She just didn’t know that. 😂

So there I am, trying to remain completely invisible because the LAST thing I want to do is give away the surprise, and this very kind stranger positions herself right in front of me to take their photo.

And then…

HE STARTS GOING DOWN ON ONE KNEE.

😅😅😅

I don’t know if there is an emoji that accurately represents a photographer internally screaming while simultaneously trying to casually reposition herself without alerting the woman who is about to get proposed to, but that’s pretty much where I was.

There was no stopping anything now.

So I moved.

Quickly.

And we got it.

Her Reaction Made Every Second of Chaos Worth It

The second she realized what was happening, absolutely nothing else around us mattered.

Not the bus.

Not the crowd.

Not our incredibly helpful accidental photographer.

Nothing.

She was SO excited.

We’re talking jumping up and down excited. 😂❤️

And THAT is why I love photographing surprise proposals.

I’ve photographed so many of them, especially at Letchworth, but I never know what the reaction is going to be.

Some people immediately cry. Some completely freeze. Some cover their face. Some drop right down to the ground with their fiancé. Some laugh because they’re so shocked they don’t know what else to do.

And sometimes they JUMP.

Her happiness was contagious.

After seven years together and months of him waiting for this exact moment, she said YES.

And just like that, they were engaged.

Then Came One of My Favorite Parts

Once the adrenaline settled a little bit, we headed off for their engagement portraits around Letchworth.

I absolutely love this part of a surprise proposal session because there is a completely different energy than there is during a regular engagement session.

You can’t fake that “we literally just got engaged” glow.

She brought the BEST energy with her. She was excited, happy, playful and completely ready to soak in every second of it.

And he couldn’t stop looking at her.

Seriously.

There is something so sweet about watching someone who spent months secretly planning this huge moment finally get to relax, look over at the person they love and realize…

She said yes.

She’s my fiancée now.

We spent the rest of our time capturing the two of them exactly as they were in that moment. Happy, relieved, excited and very much in love.

Those are the photographs that are going to bring all of this rushing back years from now.

This Is Why I Plan Surprise Proposals the Way I Do

There is a reason I probably overload the guys who book me with information before their proposal. 😂

I want you prepared.

Not because I expect everything to go wrong, but because surprise proposals are unpredictable by nature.

Someone might be standing in the exact spot we planned to use.

Your girlfriend might suddenly decide she wants to walk in a completely different direction.

You might get nervous and forget where I told you to stand.

The park might be busier than expected.

A tour bus might unload an entire crowd right before you arrive.

A lovely stranger might decide this is the perfect moment to offer to take your picture.

You just never know.

My job as a Letchworth State Park proposal photographer isn’t simply to show up with a camera and wait for someone to get down on one knee.

It’s helping you figure out how we’re going to pull this off without your partner figuring it out first.

It’s knowing the location.

It’s understanding the light.

It’s helping with timing and positioning.

It’s having a plan for the things we CAN control and being able to think quickly when something happens that we can’t.

Most importantly, it’s making sure YOU don’t have to worry about any of that while you’re asking one of the biggest questions of your life.

You worry about the ring and remembering what you want to say.

I’ve got the rest.

Apparently, that now includes tour buses. 😂

Planning a Surprise Proposal at Letchworth State Park?

If you’re thinking about proposing at Letchworth, PLEASE don’t feel like you have to figure everything out yourself before contacting me.

You don’t.

In fact, I would much rather be involved early enough that we can talk about your ideas and put together a plan that photographs beautifully while still feeling natural for the two of you.

I’ve photographed many surprise proposals at Letchworth State Park, and every single one has been different. That’s exactly what I love about them.

We’ll talk about the best location for your vision, timing, lighting, where you’ll bring your partner, where I’ll be hiding and how we’ll communicate without giving anything away. And once they say YES, we can turn the rest of our time together into your first engagement session.

If you’re searching for a Letchworth State Park proposal photographer, Rochester NY proposal photographer, or surprise proposal photographer near Rochester, I’d love to hear what you’re planning.

Even if your current plan is basically:

“I bought the ring. I know I want to do it at Letchworth. HELP.”

That’s enough. 😂

We’ll take it from there.

And to these two…

After seven years together, you finally get to call each other FIANCÉ. 💍

Congratulations! Thank you for trusting me with a moment you had been waiting months to make happen. Between the crowds, the tour bus, our very helpful stranger and one VERY excited newly engaged woman jumping up and down, I don’t think I could forget this one if I tried.

What a way to start your next chapter. ❤️

Destiny Burke Photography | Surprise Proposal & Engagement Photographer serving Letchworth State Park, Rochester, NY and surrounding Western New York areas

Here are some of the best photographs from their session!