Nicole & Brandon | Dolores Park Surprise Proposal
This was such a wonderful surprise proposal! A lot of proposal clients come to me without a fully formed plan, and that’s totally fine, because I am happy to help them figure out the details. Brandon initially picked a date and time for his proposal about a month out. But as we started chatting, it soon became apparent that the initial plan might not be the best fit for what he said Nicole had wanted. Instead, Brandon mentioned that they would be meeting up for an anniversary dinner the next day. Sure, they didn’t have a restaurant reservation and there was no real plan yet, but that all sounded to me like it would be perfect for a surprise… and off we went! I’ll let Brandon tell it from there.
After dating for the past two years, it was finally time to pop the question. I wanted to make the moment special and picturesque, so I started planning for a nice weekend morning at a beautiful location outside of the city. BUT.. I started having doubts. Basically, my plan was way too obvious for it to be a surprise. For a girl who’s obsessed with The Office and thinks Jim’s spontaneous proposal to Pam at a gas station is the most romantic thing ever, my plan was too manufactured.
TIME TO PIVOT.
Luckily for me, our anniversary dinner was coming up, and Nicole had already suggested meeting in the Mission to eat somewhere. While on a call with Anna to plan the proposal, she suggested that I “join the waitlist” and go for a nice little walk in Dolores Park to kill some time.
Great plan.. except now the stress began because I could instantly think of several things that could go wrong.
– Nicole gets there first and there’s no wait for a table
– Nicole decides we should eat somewhere else
– Nicole can’t get there on time because of work
– I lose the ring
– It’s raining
– etc. etc. etc.
We met up, I said I had made a last minute reservation but we had 45 min to walk around and maybe get a drink. My palms were sweaty, and I don’t remember a single thing we talked about on that walk… We got to the top of Dolores, and there was a point at which Nicole was looking out over the city and admiring the view – she was telling some story that my brain couldn’t process – and I knew it was time. I asked a “stranger” (Anna) to take a picture of us with my phone, posed for the pic, and BAM! I turned towards Nicole and started my speech. Got down on one knee, proposed, and she said….
“OMG I can’t believe you managed to surprise me! *turns towards Anna* You two know each other?!?”
Leaving me there, on the ground, waiting for an answer.
Honestly though I loved that reaction, that was so funny and exactly what I was hoping for. Everything turned out to be perfect. And yes, she did eventually turn back to me and said yes!
She was genuinely so surprised. It was really sweet and very delightful.
From Nicole: I’m so happy and appreciative of the wonderful experience you gave me, and for working so well with Brandon on my surprise proposal. It couldn’t have been a more perfect proposal for me and Brandon.
I wasn’t suspicious at all that Brandon was leading me to a spot in Dolores Park to propose, both his acting skills and your teamwork went flawlessly. During and after the proposal, I really appreciated your patience and guidance for our impromptu photoshoot, letting us have fun and enjoy the moment, suggesting different poses, and keeping it lowkey and casual in a crowded park and capturing the scene so beautifully.
I’m still on cloud nine!
Congratulations, you two! I so, so loved being a part of it.
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She loves a good proposal. Contact her to inquire about your own proposal plans.
