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Questions About Planning Surprise Proposals at Grand Canyon

Planning Surprise Proposals at Grand Canyon – one question at a time

I shoot so many engagement photos that I lose count over the years. My specialty really did become planning surprise engagement proposals at Grand Canyon. A lot of people, potential proposers or not, are curious about how to plan engagement proposal at Grand Canyon. Often times folks ask me if I am hiding in the bushes waiting for the exact moment.

Other questions people ask about planning surprise proposals at Grand Canyon are:

How do you know you have the right people?

Does the couple know where to stand?

What do you do to make sure that you get the shot?

How should I dress for my engagement proposal?

What locations are the best for surprise proposals at Grand Canyon?

Can we/ do we have to hike a trail at Grand Canyon for the engagement proposal?

What stops or sightseeing should I do at Grand Canyon before my surprise proposal?

How will the weather affect my surprise proposal?

Where should I stay at Grand Canyon?

What restaurants do you recommend at Grand Canyon?

Do you photograph same-sex proposals?

Well, I hope I can help answer some of your questions and maybe help you photograph your own unique proposal at Grand Canyon.

First questions, first: How do you know you have the right people? This is pretty simple, as long as the people are driving their own vehicle. When people come on a Pink Jeep Tour, or want to photograph a proposal after riding the Grand Canyon Train, this can really be a moore difficult question to answer. I’m really good at planning surprise proposals at Grand Canyon and can work with any trip itinerary.

In cases where I will not be able to see the couple exit a vehicle, I ask for photos of them in advance as well as what they are wearing on that day. Hopefully, they are able to text me day of without raising suspicions. Cases like these, I will also describe myself very well via text as well as share photos. I plan to wear something distinctive, like my neon yellow patagonia pullover thing. It’s had its day and is in desperate need of replacing but you can see it a mile away.

Being very clear about my plans (which vary if they are taking a Pink Jeep Tour, coming in off the train or taking their own vehicle) I tell them where I will sit, or how to “follow me”.

Without your own vehicle

Pink Jeep / Jeep Companies

With Pink Jeep, or any Grand Canyon Jeep Company, I will usually try to request a certain guide or get the contact info for the one that gets scheduled for the tour. This is a bit tricky as the guides often don’t know their booked tours in advance, and it’s always subject to change.

The last time I organized a proposal with a Jeep Tour, I called and requested a friend of mine. I called him personally in the later afternoon, and though he was not assigned my tour, he provided me the direct number of the guide that did. I called the guide and set up a time to meet at a certain viewpoint.

Sometimes, I jump in on the Pink Jeep Tour and pretend to be just another visitor, but Covid-19 makes that tough. The last one was a private tour. As much as I actually wanted to take the tour, it would have been a giveaway for me to be the only other passenger, so I planned to meet the driver there.

The Grand Canyon Train

The Grand Canyon Train is really neat, it comes up from Williams and is very scenic, with a side of cheesy when the train is held up by cowboys midway. 😛 I always recommend staying the night at Grand Canyon when riding the train. The train comes up about 11:30 and goes back around 3pm leaving very little time to see the canyon or have this kind of moment. It’s not impossible but it seems rushed to me.

The difficulty in taking the train, is only that you are on foot thereafter. I like to try to offer a intimate proposal location where less people will be. The train takes you to the historic Grand Canyon Village, which is a picturesque historic pioneer town. Grand Canyon’s village area is home to the famous Bright Angel Trailhead and can be a busier part of the national park, year-round. Still there are ways to escape it.

When folks come on the train, I will usually try to have them walk the rim trail toward the Yavapai Geology Museum or east of the village area. The crowds seems to thin out this way and there are lots of places along the rim that are visible from the walking path but not directly on it. There are beautiful trees there and a lot of places to have a quiet moment.

I will usually get up as I see the couple coming and then walk off the path and to the rim. The. couple should “follow me” as directed by the proposer. At the rim, I take a selfie and a few photos and walk away, that’s their indication to move into my spot. I’ll walk away slowly and go to a spot on the path maybe sit and “look at my phone” all the while paying attention with the corner of my eye, at the appropriate moment, I’ll spring into action and try to get the shot.

Your own Vehicle

Coming to Grand Canyon with a rental car or your own car is super helpful. This allows the most flexibility in planning the proposal. Having your own car at the canyon allows us to work with changes in weather and have a place to warm up, in planning a winter surprise proposal at Grand Canyon. It gives us freedom to be able to add on additional nearby viewpoints on a whim. Your own car provides a place to change clothes in, if a outfit change is a desire during your engagement proposal photo session. In some cases on a weather day, after the proposal, the couple chose to wait out some gray dark weather just to see if we would get a sunset afterall, and we did!

The biggest benefit in taking a car, for me, is that you can tell me the color, make, model and license state. That is a giant marker of who you are and as long as I don’t miss you driving into the parking area, I wouldn’t even really need to know what you look like in advance.

Check out another blog about proposals.

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