Let it Snow: A Christmas Surprise Proposal in New Orleans
A Proposal of Epic Proportions in Downtown New Orleans
After six years together, Ross felt a marriage proposal to Chris was long overdue. But after waiting so long to find the perfect moment to pop the question, Ross was not about to let their surprise engagement be just any generic moment. So he enlisted the help of New Orleans’ only Surprise Proposal Expert: me!
Brainstorming a Brilliant Plan
Ross was planning to spend two weeks in New Orleans together around Christmas with Chris and he knew that would be the perfect time to pop the question. He wanted something that was not only memorable and romantic but that had a wow factor so great it bordered on absurd. Chris is a bit over-the-top and so Ross wanted his proposal to be as well.
To say he came to the right place would be truly underselling how right I was for this job. I love it when clients give me the opportunity to let my imagination run wild and dream up something completely new! He first contacted me in August, five whole months before his December proposal. I was especially happy for the long lead time because it was going to take a lot of work to pull off something that would live up to the expectations a 6 year relationship necessitates.
We wasted no time diving into the deep end of planning. We set up a video call to hash out the details and get on the same page. It was like a meeting of the minds – totally in sync about how to make this thing as beautiful and heartfelt as possible.
I couldn't help but get excited as I pitched him an idea that had been a massive hit for another couple back in January. Picture this: a live band serenading the couple, a choir suddenly emerges to add that layer of emotional oomph, and then, just when you think it can't get any better, we hit them with a jaw-dropping 'wow' moment that seals the deal. It's the kind of thing you see in movies, only this time, it's for real.
With the date set for December 16th, we wanted to incorporate the Holidays into the experience. So I dreamt up a wow-factor that I’d never done before- and one that doesn’t ever really happy in New Orleans (not for real, anyway). I was going to make it snow.
Ross was all in. You could feel the excitement buzzing through the screen. We were on a mission to create a proposal that wasn't just a plain old popping of the question but an experience that would knock Chris’ proverbial socks off . With a blend of their favorite song, a splash of creativity, and a whole lot zhuzh, we were ready to set the stage for one of the biggest moments of their lives.
Ross described Chris as a “slot machine queen” so the location kind of chose itself. Just outside of one of the entrances to Harrah’s casino is a beautiful gazebo in the middle of a pedestrian only section of Fulton Street. I’d never used the location before and in years past it was decked out for the Holidays- faux sneaux and all. I wasn’t entirely sure how to secure the location and there wasn’t a wealth of information about it online. Thankfully, I had months to get it together.
Locking Down the Logistics
Getting that gazebo locked down was a bit like trying to snag the best table at a Friday night hotspot – not easy, but oh so worth it when you get that nod of approval. It wasn’t easy to find out who to even contact to rent the thing. And it took multiple requests through Caeser’s website (which had been experiencing some technical difficulties and originally sent my request to a location in Vegas) to connect with a person at Harrah’s. But once I did she was thankfully happy to rent us the gazebo! After I had the venue locked down, it was time for the fun part.
In the months leading up to the big day, I was on a mission: find the right band (ended up swapping the first pick for this amazing trio), get a choir that could really bring the feels, and figure out all the rehearsal times. And let’s not forget about the snow! New Orleans isn't exactly known for its blizzards, so I dove into the world of snow machines. I read copious reviews and watched youtube videos on the important differences in snow juice type. I tested not one, but two different types, enlisting the help of my partner so I could see them in action. There I was, in my backyard the deep, dirty South, surrounded by fake snow, judging which flurry felt the most magical. It was a surreal but necessary step to ensure we had the best 'snowfall' for that picture-perfect moment.
I scouted the gazebo the week before the proposal and quickly learned that the difficulty of locking it down was only the first hurdle. That thing was a character all on its own. It was covered in speakers that blasted music like it was its own personal concert. And it also seemed to forget it was Christmas, without so much as a single festive bow decorating it. But that’s why Ross hired me- to think of all the little details. I had plans to deck it out with these huge, festive Christmas bows and loads of fresh poinsettias. I dropped a line to Harrah's to get them to dial down their tunes for us, too. There was only one last step- the final planning call with Ross to nail down all the choreography for the big event.
The Final Bit of Finesse
We got together for one last video call and were both bubbling over with excitement. We had some key decisions to make: Where's the choir going to stand? How will the band leader and choir boss kick things off? It was all about getting those little moments just right, so when the time came, everything would feel like it just fell into place, as if by magic. And the plan we came up with was chef’s kiss perfect.
Everything was coming together so easily that it felt too good to be true. Sure, this wasn’t my first rodeo and I have a lot of experience with planning and running logistics for epic surprise proposals with many moving parts. But still- I was impressed with how even the little hiccups along the way were easily mitigated. There was one variable, though, that we had no control over and was looming ominously that week: the forecast.
It called for rain. All day. Literally 100% chance of rain. It wasn’t going to be especially cold but I had learned during my initial visit to the gazebo (I went at the exact time of day we planned to stage the big moment so I could get an accurate feel for the lighting) that the area is a wind tunnel. It was even about the same temperature that day that our day was supposed to be- and with the wind whipping by, a wet 56% would feel more colder and be much more unpleasant.
Ross and I worked out the best rain plan we could come up with. I was grateful to have the gazebo to cover at least some of the talent. But there was a lot of crossing fingers and hitting refresh on the radar the night before. Ultimately, the weather was going to do what it was going to do and we would just have to roll with it.
Prepping for a Proposal
The night before was a whirlwind of excited preparation. I crafted a muffler box from an old igloo ice chest to quiet the snow machine, ensuring it wouldn't detract from the moment's emotion. This DIY solution worked surprisingly well- it was still audible but it took it down from like HVAC unit to vacuum cleaner. It would require my snow machine operator (my favorite mighty mouse, Victoria, who you will remember from various flower chucking proposals) to finesse the snow distribution apparatus so that it didn’t get trapped on the edges of the chest. But we figure out exactly how to muffle the noise without sacrificing the magical effect.
On the day of the proposal, my team and I were a symphony of coordination. Friends captured behind-the-scenes footage, my assistant Victoria managed the snow machine, and another companion, Lucky, kept the area clear for the big moment. The musicians and choir arrived, braving the chilly, windy conditions. But the forecast looked like the rain was going to hold off until later in the afternoon! In fact, the radar showed the storm that morning passing around New Orleans- both above and below it- like it had parted to spare us for a few hours.
What we thought was going to be our biggest hurdle ended up being perfectly fine (my theory is that if you have a rain plan you are less likely to need it!) The challenge ended up being an unexpected one. As I was loading up the snow machine with snow juice, the band leader, Sam, came over to tell me the gazebo had no power. LORDT! I had already spent time that morning running around to get someone to turn off the music they were supposed to have done before we arrived and now I needed to do more running around to find where we could get power from. (I suspect that instead of just turning off the music, they cut the power to the entire gazebo, but I’ll never know for sure).
Putting Out Fires
We’d only had an hour for setup to begin with and now it’s 25 minutes to go-time. I called my two contacts at Harrah’s. Neither answered. So I did what any sensible proposal planner with very little time before the couple arrived would do: I RAN.
I tried plugging the snow machine into any outlets visible in the parklets nearby the gazebo. No power. I knocked on the doors of the not-open-until-11 Gordon Biersch to ask if I could run a power cord out of their backdoor. The waiter, talking to me through the crack in between the locked doors said they had no key to unlock those doors. I ran inside to the Harrah’s hotel and asked the concierge if she could call maintenance and get them to come down and turn on the power. She understood the sense of urgency and called right away. Somebody was supposedly on their way but I knew better than to rely on that.
I ran to Ruth’s Chris and asked the host if I could use their power. They said none of their doors were able to be opened either (I was really beginning to worry about the fire safety of those restaurants!). I said that we had spotted an extension cord in the courtyard behind their restaurant and was wondering if we could use that. He told me that courtuard actually belonged to yet another restaurant bordering the gazebo, Manning’s.
So I took off again! I ran to the other end of the pedestrian mall and rounded the corner to the staff entrance of Manning’s (they, too, were closed until 11). I saw a guy who looked to have just arrived at work and I frantically knocked on the glass. He mouthed “we aren’t open yet” and held up two fingers to signal that they’d be open at 11. So I, out of shape and out of breath, said “I need help!” and gestured in the general direction of the gazebo.
This sweet angel of a man came to the door, heard my request, and then hurried around to the courtyard to open the gate and let Victoria in to access the extension cord! I hurriedly texted Ross and asked him to stall until we got it all sorted. There was no way I was going to let them show up and us not be ready. We had put too much work into this to let somebody else’s goofup ruin the plan.
As soon as it was confirmed we had power, I let Ross know he could head our way. That gave us 12-15 minutes to rehearse!
I ran a cord to the gazebo so Sam could power his gear. I ran another to the snow machine and set off on showing Victoria how to operate it and then embarking on the quest of figuring out the right place to put it for the effect we wanted. The gazebo in the middle of the wind tunnel functioned essentially like a large rock in the middle of a river. All of the air diverted around it- and that’s exactly what the snow wanted to do, too.
So we decided she would need to be directly behind me for the snow to hit its mark. But she also needed to be on a ladder. So we choreographed when in the song she would need to move the ladder to the center of the walkway so that it wouldn’t be standing there when Ross and Chris arrived.
We ran a dress rehearsal with the band, the choir, me and the snow. I was thrilled to see that the band and choir had been rehearsing on their own while I was running around (I did text Sam and Pete and tell them to run through it without power in case that’s what we had to do it with). Everybody hit their marks, the snow flew, and the photos looked great.
And not a moment too soon. Ross soon rounded the corner with Chris. I signaled to Sam and Pete and everybody was in their places ready to go.
It was showtime.
Let it Snow!
Ross and Chris came strolling up, with Chris totally unaware of the epic scene about to unfold. Everything was set. The band was in place, fingers ready to play those first notes. Pete stood at the foot of the gazebo waving a $20 bill in the air and Sam spoke into the microphone “we play out here every Saturday, sir. We know an awful lot of songs. I don’t think that’s a bet you want to make”. Ross hit his mark and Sam was supposed to ask him to settle a bet that he could play any random song from any random person. But for some reason he missed his cue. I was standing off to the side pretending to be a bystander in the debate. I was pointing at the couple mouthing “that’s them! go!” but he wasn’t watching me. Pete jumped in to save the day, taking over Sam’s part and telling the couple he’d bet Sam he couldn’t play any song requested. He asked Ross to request a song. Ross did his part right on cue and requested Selena. Sam said that they did, in fact, know exactly one song by Selena. And it was off to the races.
The band started, the gentle melody of "I Could Fall in Love" floating through the air. I moved into place behind the couple, snapping some candids of them listening the the band. Chris looked at Ross with a smile (I later learned he asked “did you set this up??”). I motioned to Victoria to move the ladder into place and we were ready for the finale. Just as the song hit the second chorus, the choir slid into place like they were part of the scenery all along, their voices adding this layer of magic to the moment. I turned and pointed up to Victoria whispering “go!” before crouching in my patended surprise proposal position to fire off shots like a madwoman.
And then, like the fairytale we had hoped for, it started 'snowing' in New Orleans, can you believe it? A flurry of white filled the gap between me and the couple transforming the scene into pure magic. That's when Ross, cool as ever but with that love-struck twinkle in his eye, pulled out this gorgeous gold anchor pendant with this brilliant aventurine stone.
You should've seen Chris's face (okay, you can in the photos). It was like every Christmas had come at once. The look of sheer surprise, joy, and love all mixed together – it was something else. And let me tell you, those photos I got were pure gold. They captured every bit of the emotion, the setting, and that incredible instant when months of planning culminated into one epic moment that would never be forgotten. It was like a scene from a movie, only this was real life, and for Ross and Chris, it was just the beginning.
This proposal wasn't just about popping the big question; it was a full-on celebration, a real-life love story coming to life right before our eyes. It was about two people, Ross and Chris, and their six year journey to this very moment, all wrapped up in a spectacle of love and thoughtful touches. As each piece of faux snow gently touched the ground, marking the end of the performance, you could see the start of something new and beautiful for them. They embraced, surrounded by the magic we'd created, and I stood back, a smile spreading across my face, knowing we'd turned Ross’ dream into reality.
This Could Be You, Too!
A proposal, your proposal, it's more than just getting down on one knee and asking those four little words. It's about celebrating your journey together, the laughs, the tears, everything that's brought you to this point. It's about crafting a moment so special, so perfectly 'you', that it becomes a story you'll tell for years to come, a story that's as unique as your own love.
And you know, it's not just about grand gestures- the snow machines, or the choirs (though they are pretty awesome)- it's about the meaning behind every choice, the love that goes into every little detail. It's about creating an experience that's so full of your shared love and dreams, that it feels like time stands still just for you.
So, if you're lying awake at night, dreaming of the perfect way to ask your special someone to join you for the long haul, remember this: you're not just planning a proposal, you're crafting a memory that will last a lifetime. It's about making sure that when they think back to this moment, their heart feels just as full as it did right then.
But, hey, no pressure, right?
That's where I come in. With nearly two decades of experience under my belt and a heart just as invested in your love story as you are, I'm here to help bring your vision to life. We'll brainstorm, we'll plan, and we'll create a moment so magical, so perfectly tailored to your relationship, that you'll find yourselves reliving it over and over again.
So, what do you say? Are you ready to take this step? To create something unforgettable? If your heart's saying yes, then reach out. Let's team up and make some magic happen, crafting a proposal that's as extraordinary as the love story it celebrates. Let's start this journey together, and let's make it one for the books.
