Last April, I received a special request from Matt. He wanted me to help him plan a surprise photoshoot for his girlfriend!
Matt and Caroline would come to Copenhagen from the US for a holiday, and Matt’s plan was to use this opportunity to drop on his knee and ask THE question. He had even picked a crazy lovely location - a dock by the lake in the Botanical Garden (Botanisk Have), in the center of Copenhagen.
He had one important condition: the photoshoot should be a surprise, and his girlfriend should not know about me until after the proposal, when we could walk around and take some more pictures as a brief engagement photosession.
As they would only come to Copenhagen for a holiday trip, there was no way to meet or check the location together before the big day. Moreover, I would have to catch the moment without being seen or noticed.
All in all, this was not a simple task at all! And yes, that’s also why I am so in love with the outcome! :D
Here are 5 things that were super important for our mission to be completed:
1. I scouted the location on my own beforehand.
I took some snapshots and sent them to Matt, explaining exactly where I would be, and telling him how to position himself while proposing.
2. I had a video call with Matt.
Besides getting to know more about each other - which is something I always recommend - it gave me the opportunity to see him and be able to recognise him on the day of the shoot.
3. We confirmed the exact location through Google Maps.
*Very important* step to make sure we would show up at the same place.
4. I suggested a time of the day where the garden would not be too crowded yet.
That is, I suggested to take a ‘casual’ morning stroll as an opportunity to visit the Botanical Garden.
5. I mentioned it would be good for Caroline to wear something she would like for her pictures.
As the photoshoot was a surprise, this might have required a bit of creativity from Matt, but helped avoiding a situation where she wouldn’t like her pictures due to her clothes :D
So, everything was ready, the place was confirmed, I was there in good time, and Matt texted they were on their way. Yay!
Except, when the agreed time came, Matt and Caroline were nowhere to be seen!
What happened? I had no way to contact him, as his phone apparently had no signal.
While wondering how people could live at the time when no mobile phones existed, I started getting more and more curious.
Had he changed his mind? Had he panicked? Did she say no? I just had to know!
So I waited, sitting and enjoying the Danish spring, which can sometimes be very pleasant, even in April. And all of a sudden, there they were! I was ready to capture the big moment - spoiler alert, she said yes :D - and then finally meet and greet them!
They explained they had gotten lost on the way… what a morning!
The rest… well, is history, as you can see below ;)
Link to the behind the scenes reel here.
If you want to steal Matt's idea and plan a surprise engagement photoshoot in Copenhagen, I hope this story comes in handy!
Bear in mind that communication with your photographer is extremely important, especially when planning something a bit more complicated.
And keep in mind that this is just one way to do it! For example, you might plan for a souvenir photoshoot around Copenhagen and propose during the shoot itself!
Feel free to reach out! Let’s have a discovery call about your wishes - I can’t wait to make some magic happen together!
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