New Orleans Surprise Proposal Photography

Scott Proposes to Jill at Jackson Square

Whenever I discuss surprise proposal location options with a client, I give them the rundown of everything they need to know about each spot. Are there a lot of people? What is the light like? Is it noisy? Is it hard to get to? Does it get super muddy? What’s the best time of day for that location? I offer all the pros and cons so that my client can make a well-informed decision about where they want to propose. I also show them copious images of each spot so they can get a good idea of what their photos will look like.

Scott wanted to propose in the Quarter and mentioned Jackson Square. He and Jill live in Baton Rouge and visit New Orleans frequently so he had an idea of the vibe he wanted but didn’t have his heart set on any particular location. They would be going to Mass on Canal at 4 and headed to the Quarter after. Whenever a client isn’t sold on a specific location, I offer spots that I haven’t used yet but have solid knowledge of the lay of the land. While tried-and-true spots have their place, I also love working in new locations! I’ve used the steps on the sides of Jackson Square numerous times as a portrait location but never a proposal. I pitched it to Scott and he was all over it.

So we laid out our plan. They were going to stroll through Jackson Square, exiting the gate where he would propose. I would be standing outside the gate pretending to photograph it. They’d walk into my shot, apologize for getting in the way, I’d tell them it was not a problem and he’d take the opportunity of our interaction to ask if I can take a photo of them and hand me his phone. I’d step back and frame the shot with his phone just as he dropped to a knee. I like plans that allow us to interact beforehand, it takes some of the guesswork out of the moment.

I got to Jackson Square early just in case. You never know what might be going on down there. I had chosen the side of the square that historically tends to be less busy and fortunately that was the case that day. The cool thing about this location is that I could see them as they walked across the square and be ready to go. Jill was easy to spot in a leopard print top, too. The interaction went down as planned except one thing- Scott was so nervous he didn’t wait for me to drop all the way back and went for it before I even had the phone up! I had to toss his phone onto the ground to spring into action (I warned him this might happen. It had a good case, hah!). If I would’ve had a few more seconds I would’ve posed them directly in the center of the gates. But I can get down with a little asymmetry! A woman walked into the shot but then quickly dove out of it when she saw what was happening. Gotta love considerate tourists!

Jill was completely surprised and Scott was super excited to have pulled it off! I really liked the small, wooden ring box he had. It looked super easy to keep hidden (note to self, find the etsy link for those things and add to my proposal guide! No more giant ring boxes, please!). After a few quick posed shots they were on their way and I walked over to the next proposal in this Saturday French Quarter double header.

Ready to plan your own big moment?

Enjoy these images from Scott’s Surprise Proposal Photography to Jill at Jackson Square.