How to Plan a Surprise Proposal with a Photographer!

Having your Surprise Proposal photographed by a photographer has become a very popular trend & I love being able to capture every milestone with my clients! So, I’m gonna give you a complete step by step breakdown & things you should take into consideration whenever planning your surprise proposal.

Before contacting the photographer…

Have a general idea of how you want everything to play out day of the surprise proposal. Ask yourself these questions; Do you have a specific location in mind?, if not ask your photographer for their advice. Will you want the surprise proposal done in a private place or will it in a public setting? What is the plan for afterwards, will y’all go to dinner with all your friends & family or have an evening just the two of you?

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When planning everything out there are a few key factors to focus on; Weather day of, Location, & Game Plan of what you’ll tell your partner & everything you plan on saying & doing once you’re on site ready for the surprise proposal to go down.

With all of these in mind, do what will make you & your partner feel most comfortable, don’t let outside opinions affect what you truly want to do for your person. This is a special moment & don’t let anything take away from it.

Once you have a decent idea of your game plan & all the details contact a photographer! When looking for a photographer find one that you love their style & work & that you think will be able to capture the moment! Once you contact the photographer be sure to included all the details in the inquiry form, so we can get a good vision of everything that will happen.

You booked the photographer!

Once you finalize the date & time in your photographers calendar, then you’re all set & ready to chat with them to finalize the game plan for the surprise proposal! I highly suggest asking your photographer any questions you might have even if it’s not regarding photos.

Day of the Surprise Proposal…

I't’ll be a day full of nerves, but good vibes only! Just say whatever you feel in your heart & I promise your partner will feel loved & surprised! Take in your moments & don’t let anything effect it!

Afterwards you’ll have photos to look back on from the moment & have a few newly engaged photos to share with friends & family & be able to look back on forever!

If you’re looking to book a photographer I love capturing these moments & would love to help plan your surprise proposal!

Bucket List Wedding Locations as a Texas Wedding & Elopement Photographer!

We all know I’m a Texas girl & I love traveling to beautiful places & even more so if that includes capturing love there. This year I have been planning a few trips for myself to enjoy & I figured why not share with y’all my bucket list wedding locations, plus we will say I’m manifesting all of this to become true. I have been traveling all over Texas for the past two years for all my love stories & want to expand that into more destinations! There are probably so many more that I could add to this list, but I want to keep it to where I would love to go capture love right now, this year. So here’s the list…

• A Las Vegas Elopement

• Death Valley National Park

• Malibu, California

• Anywhere in Colorado

• God’s Thumb in Oregon

• Palo Duro Canyon

• Redwoods National Park

Obviously if you are planning to get married or elope somewhere that is on this list, then I will give ya a discount off of my travel fees. As for myself I will be traveling to Denver, Mexico, & California this year & can’t wait!

It’s Engagement Season: What’s Next?

So you just got engaged… what’s next?

Well lucky for you I’m here to help you! As a lifestyle & wedding photographer I’m with my clients almost every step of the way & am here as I guide to help you have the best wedding ever! So let’s get it & dive into what is exactly the next step in being a fiancé & planning a wedding.

First thing is first, figure out when is the best time for you & your partner to get married. How long an engagement will you have? Where will it be? What is y’all’s budget? What kind of wedding will you have? Talk to your spouse & figure out what your plan is.

Once you have a general idea of what y’all’s wedding day will be like find your key vendors that will be apart of your day. Whether you’re going down the elopement, intimate wedding, or traditional wedding route it’ll differ depending on what best aligns with y’all’s values & how you truly want to spend your wedding day. This will be different from all couples & finding vendors that specialize in your type of wedding makes the day a thousand times smoother & more time for you to sit back & enjoy your day without stress! When looking through all the possible wedding vendors you love be sure to do your research; look at their work, read their reviews, ask all the questions, & hop on the phone with them if that’s what you need to do! Make sure your vendors are insured & a legitimate business before working with them.

Location & Venue is the first question to answer. Depending on how many people will be attending your wedding finding a venue is the first vendor you should start researching & seeing if they are available for y’all’s wedding date! Most venues are booking weddings about 12-15 months out from the actual date & most venues have limited if any availability during peak wedding season.

Book your engagement photo session! Now that you narrowed down your wedding date & venue you need to send out save the dates. Finding a photographer who offers engagement sessions as well as wedding photography is amazing! As a lifestyle & wedding photographer myself, I love being able to build a relationship with my clients. This is a great way for your photographer to know your angles & you as a person before wedding day. Plus, they might give you a discount if you book them for both your engagements & wedding! P.S. I do that & offer $50 off your additional session, which can be applied to an engagement session, bridal session, or boudoir session!

Find a Wedding Planner or decide how your day will come to life. By hiring a wedding planner you are able to take the stress off of yourself to enjoy your time as a bride to be and enjoy all the exciting parts without having all the stress of doing it all yourself! If you love planning events & are excited about doing it, then plan to find your key vendors & then hire a Day of Coordinator to step in & help guide you on your wedding day!

Book your Wedding Photographer & Videographer. If you decided to stick with your engagement photographer as your wedding photographer, then this step could be super easy. Ask your photographer questions about everything! If you decided to find a wedding photographer apart from your past relationships with other photographers try looking on Instagram, The Knot, Zola, ask your booked vendors for recommendations, ask your friends, go to a Bride Facebook group & search there. There are so many vendors you can book, but make sure the photographer & videographer you choose will help guide you throughout your day & can be accountable! These are the people capturing your day, so you want these vendors to be one of your most important vendors! Be picky if you have too.

Go Wedding Dress & Tux Shopping! You can go a more traditional route & go in store to find your perfect dress, but don’t forget about other alternatives! You can totally find an amazing wedding dresses online nowadays, I highly recommend at least looking, because this could save you so much money that you could save for another vendor or for honeymoon planning! If you have an eye for thrifting, then you could so try to find a cool piece of clothing at your local thrift store, plus this is sustainable & I love giving clothing a second life! As far as tux’s go, you can rent or use one that you already own or go thrifting!

Florals! How will you incorporate flowers & greenery into your wedding day? Would you prefer to have real, faux, or dried florals for your wedding? When you think about your wedding where do your envision flowers being displayed & what flowers are must have’s for your wedding? When finding a florist keep in mind their shop minimum & the time of year you’re getting married, because this can effect your cost & what your florals will look like if they aren’t in the same season.

DJ time! The person who keeps the energy going all throughout the night! When hiring a DJ find someone who can get the crowd moving & hype for all the fun to come in your own after party!

Catering & Cake! What do you want to eat at your wedding? You can truly do whatever you want at your wedding, if you want to eat pizza, so be it! If you want a formal dinner, then do it! There are vendors out there for everyone & make sure to set up a meeting with your catering team to make sure your meal is how you want it to be. Cake time! Cake should be what you want it to be, if you don’t want something over the top, then don’t have a smaller cake for your cake cutting & then have a sheet cake for your guests. If you want to ditch cake, you can do pies, cheesecakes, cookies, cake balls, chocolate covered fruit, smore’s, the options are endless for this.

Now this is just a small piece of a guide to help prepare you/get a better idea of what your next step is in the world of wedding planning as a newly engaged bride to be. I will be sharing more tips & guides to help y’all out this year, because I love being an aid & guide through this time in your life. Plus, if you’re a bride looking for an engagement or wedding photographer I’m currently booking 2023 brides in all of Texas & will be offering discounts for my destination brides! I can’t wait to start planning with y’all.