Joshua and Emily: A Proposal in the Botanical Gardens
Love is in bloom in the New Orleans Botanical Gardens
Joshua asks Emily to marry him inside a stunning Garden in New Orleans
While I have done countless Surprise proposals in New Orleans City Park, this was the first time I had ever done one inside of the Botanical Gardens. Nestled in between Carousel Gardens and the Sculpture Garden is the New Orleans Botanical Gardens. While it is not a huge portion of City Park, you can easily spend several hours wandering through the blossoms and vines that grow throughout the different sections of the garden. It is especially stunning in the Spring with every color imaginable blooming in every corner.
First Time for Everything
The Botanical Gardens does require an additional permit to work inside its gates but honestly, it’s well worth the extra money (and costs less than if you were to hire me to decorate a location with flowers myself!). The beauty is built-in and it makes a perfect backdrop for a Surprise Proposal.
I was over the moon when Joshua decided to propose to Emily inside of the gardens. The only issue was that the gardens close at 4pm- long before the daylight saving time golden hour. We picked a spot that should be shady in the event we don’t get lucky with an overcast day. But luck was on our side that Friday and not only did we have a perfectly cloudy day but we also had the fountain all to ourselves.
That last part took a bit of work, though.
I got to the park early to get the permit and also walk through the gardens for a bit. A blossoming gardener myself, I love checking out all the plants that grow well in this hot and humid climate. I saw Joshua and Emily getting out of their car one row over from mine so I hung back for a minute. I didn’t want to be requesting a permit within earshot of Emily! I headed to the entrance once I saw them safely walking through the garden.
Sorry to Interrupt
While I had planned on taking my time looking at flowers, I found myself feeling a bit nervous as soon as I was inside the park. So I headed straight to our location to scope it out. There were two guys stretched out napping on the benches behind the fountain Joshua had picked for his location. But there was still time before the proposal so I hoped they’d wake up and wander off without me having to bother them.
It wasn’t long before Joshua and Emily walked into that section of the garden. I guess he was feeling nervous and beelined there as well! They did a lap around the azalea garden while I took entirely too many photos of flowers in an attempt to look inconspicuous. The couple walked by me and exited that area. So I hustled over to the nappers. One was already up and about to leave. The other was still lounging but he had his eyes open. “Oh good, you’re awake!” I said. He smiled up at me, not as concerned with me bothering him as I would have expected. “There’s a proposal about to happen here and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind napping a few benches down? I really didn’t want to wake you, you looked so comfortable!” He said he was just about to get up anyhow and he made his way off onto the park just as Josh and Emily walked back into view.
I resumed my flower photography as Joshua made his way to the fountain. A man was pushing a cart of chairs towards the fountain and I looked at him with pleading eyes and the thought “please stop, please stop, please stop!” Perhaps I reached him telepathically because he stopped the cart just out of the frame and went back inside the nearby building. PHEW!
She says “Yes!”
Joshua looked at me while Emily was facing the fountain and I gave him a thumbs up. A few moments later he was nailing the proposal and his brand new fiancé was trying on her massive new rock! Emily was at a loss for words as I lead the newly engaged couple to an area close by that was exploding with Peggy Martin roses (if you don’t know what those are, look them up. It’s a very cool story!).
We spent a little time taking some engagement portraits before we parted ways. And I absolutely LOVE how they came out.
It is safe to say that I’ll be plugging this location as often as I can. It’s peaceful, beautiful, and definitely one of the best places to propose in New Orleans.
Check out this selection of photos from Joshua and Emily’s New Orleans Surprise Proposal.
Ready to start planning your own big moment?
