I’m lucky to be an Orlando photographer because many people come to get engaged at the happiest place on earth. But wherever you plan to propose, these tips will help you pull it off flawlessly.

I have a few specialties—things I’ve done over and over again. Courthouse weddings, shoots at certain popular Orlando locations, and marriage proposals. It all started with this proposal in England. I knew it would be the start of something big so I made sure that we also caught it on video and made this behind the scenes video showing how we pulled it off.

So having done these quite a few times, here are some pointers for how to pull it off flawlessly, especially if you want it captured on camera.

How to pull off a marriage proposal caught on camera

The second best reason to hire a photographer when you propose.
Apart from the fact that you got the proposal caught flawlessly on camera, the second best reason to have a photographer there when you propose is that it doubles as an instant engagement shoot on one of the happiest day of both of your lives. The energy will be high, the smiles will be real and it’ll feel so very easy.
How to find the right photographer to capture your proposal
You may have found this post by Googling “proposal photographer”. So, that’s a great start! Not just any photographer can pull off a flawless proposal shoot. You’re looking for someone who is used to thinking fast and being in the right place at the right time.

Experienced wedding photographers or photo journalists have a great intuition for how people behave. We’ve developed an algorithm that knows what people are about to do before they do it and where we need to be to capture it. Bonus points if they have past experience capturing proposals.
How to get your partner ready for a proposal caught on camera
A proposal that’s caught on camera is a bit different from a proposal that’s not caught on camera. This is because, if your partner doesn’t have any idea it’s coming, they may not be camera-ready and they might not like the photos so much.

You want your partner to not only love that you hired a photographer to capture your proposal, if you prepare them properly, they’ll love how they look in the photos.

The ultimate best place to propose is on vacation or a weekend away. You won’t tip them off or make them suspicious with your suggestions that they get dressed up because everyone dresses up on vacation. There’s a very good chance that, if they get their hair and nails done or have facials regularly, they’ll have those things done shortly before your vacation and be uber-camera-ready when you get on one knee.

If not doing it on vacation, you can make sure they’re camera-ready by concocting some kind of plan that they would get dressed up for. It can be real like a date or trip to a fancy place or it can be pretend like a work event where they’re your +1 (see the tip below about concocting “a big lie”).

If your future fiancé gets their nails done regularly, plan this proposal close to their nail appointment. They’ll be grateful they have a fresh set for those ring shots. Ditto for their regular hair appointment.
The big lie – how to pull off a flawless proposal caught on camera
In the tip above, I talk about how to make sure that your future fiancé is camera-ready for your proposal. Some of the best proposals I’ve caught on camera feature “a big lie” to get your partner in the right place at the right time, camera ready, and with no suspicion that you’re about to propose.

The #1 best way to pull this off and make sure they’re camera ready without letting the cat out of the bag is to tell them that you won a photo shoot. You entered a raffle or you won it at work, etc. This is an especially good move if you have worries about the photographer being in the right place at the right time and this is because they already know there’s a photographer there—your photographer won’t have to hide in the bushes.

You can work the proposal in during the photo shoot or, like this proposal I did in England, in the middle of the photo shoot, you can “go to the bathroom” while I do shots of your partner on their own and when we go to find you, you’ll be in position and ready to propose in the spot you chose.
How to get the perfect proposal caught on video
Like the tip above on how to pull off a flawless proposal caught on camera, saying you need to go to the bathroom is how we capture the audio of you proposing because, like a bunch of creeps, we wait for you in the bathroom so we can mic you up and start recording audio.

This video is a behind the scenes of us doing just that. It also shows how I hide in plain sight pretending to be photographing something else before I turn my camera on you the instant you start to propose.