Secret Engagement Proposal at Stowe Gardens

“I’m very, very nervous now,” Rhys wrote in his message to me. It was the morning of his marriage proposal to his stunning girlfriend of eight years, Sarah-Jane. Sarah-Jane was looking forward to her photoshoot with Rhys and their new pup, Whisky, but had no idea Rhys would be getting down on one knee…

In the lead-up to our shoot, the forecast had been changeable. I’d been in contact with both of them with updates on whether we were likely to be able to go ahead, or if we’d need to switch to our back-up day. Rhys, carrying the weight and emotion of his planned proposal in his head for weeks now, was looking forward to the relief of finally letting the secret out.

Happily, as the day drew nearer, a wet forecast turned to a cloudy one. That afternoon, sun beams peeked tentatively from behind wispy clouds, before breaking free to transform the day into a bright, warm and beautiful one. We got lucky.

I met Sarah-Jane through her role as co-founder at Bubble Bark. I provide the loyalty card offer for their customers, who earn a free photoshoot and print of their dog after their sixth appointment at the grooming salon.

I had already carried out an incredibly fun family shoot with Bubble Bark’s beautiful co-founder Charley, and now Sarah-Jane was looking for some portraits to go on the walls of her new home. She wanted images of her and Rhys, with and without their border collie Whisky (who is only a few months old) and then some at home of their cats, Jax (3) and Poppy (6).

I met with Sarah-Jane and Rhys to hear what they wanted to achieve with the images, then headed home to write up my notes and arrange permission to have our shoot at the beautiful National Trust property at Stowe.

Shortly after, however, I received an unexpected message from Rhys. He told me that he had been trying to find a good time and place to propose to Sarah-Jane for a while now. He knew that she really values photographs of important events in her life, and that made him wonder whether the photoshoot would be a good opportunity for him to pop the question. This way, he reasoned, she will always have a photo of the moment, which she will love. Would I be willing, he asked me, to help make it happen?

After doing a little happy dance around my editing room, I responded with an unequivocal ‘YES!’ and we set about planning the details. I would scout out a perfect spot in advance, and on the day I would drop a cue word into conversation so Rhys would know I was in position and ready for the moment.

Rhys asked for it to be the first location we shot at – this way, Sarah-Jane would be wearing her ring in the rest of the images (and Rhys would be able to relax afterwards!).

Rhys snuck out to choose a ring, with a little help from Sarah-Jane’s mum, and I went location-scouting.

The spot I chose had soft, flattering light at the time of day that we’d be there. It was quiet and tucked out of the way, so I knew we’d have it to ourselves. There would be a hint of the stunning architecture of Stowe, but the focus of the images would be all about the couple and their special moment.

The day approached. I liaised with Sarah-Jane on their outfit choices and the meeting point, while Rhys and I discussed a cue word that would have personal relevance to Sarah-Jane. We agreed on Logan, the name of Sarah-Jane’s beloved boxer dog, who lives with her parents.

The morning of our shoot arrived, and I sent Rhys an encouraging reply to help settle his nerves. With all my gear packed, I headed to the meeting point early to check that nothing had changed since I was last there, and that the location still worked with the direction of the sunlight that day. I got everything set up and then sat down to wait for the couple’s arrival.

Here’s what happened next:

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I heard Rhys swallow nervously as I directed them both into position in the spot I had chosen. It was a peaceful midweek day at the gardens, and the only other sounds were the wind tickling the leaves on the ground around us, and the occasional chirps of birds nearby. The sun’s warmth breathed through gaps in the trees around us.

I had already set up and tested the shot, but I took another just in case. I didn’t want any risk of missing this moment. I checked the image on the back of the camera; everything was perfect. My heartbeat started to speed up. It was time.

“I love the name you’ve picked for Whisky,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm and level, “It works so well, just like Logan. Another gorgeous name.”

Sarah-Jane told me later that she had just been about to respond, to say that she knew and loved a dog called Logan. But before she had a chance, Rhys whispered to her, and reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a smooth, black ring box and Sarah-Jane’s hands flew to her face as she saw it. Rhys sunk down to one knee and asked her, “Will you marry me?”

I heard her surprise, her delight, her tears of happiness. She pulled Rhys back up, kissed him and hugged him.

After a minute or two, I walked over.

“Did she say yes?!” I laughed, wiping tears from my own eyes.

“She said yes!” Rhys told me, and they both grinned and reached for each other again. I congratulated them, and we called Whisky over so he could join the celebrations.

Rhys was incredibly successful at keeping everything under wraps: Sarah-Jane told us she had absolutely no idea anything was going. She loved the ring Rhys chose (apparently it’s the second piece of jewellery he’s bought for her, and the first was, ummm… well, the less said the better).

Rhys had also chosen the perfect size: he told us that ages ago he had noted which one of Sarah-Jane’s pieces of jewellery fitted her ring finger perfectly. He tried this ring on one of his own fingers, noting at which point it wouldn’t go any further. Then, when he went to the jewellery store, he tried on their sizing rings until one stopped in the same place on his finger. That’s some impressive planning!

Later, as we walked to different spots in the gardens, we saw the two members of staff who had helped Sarah-Jane and Rhys sign up for National Trust membership on arrival. They were on a golf buggy, with four other guests on a tour of the garden.

“How are you getting on?” one of them asked.

“I just got engaged!” Sarah-Jane said, flashing her new ring.

“Wow! Congratulations!”

Everyone on the buggy started clapping and cheering, and I felt my eyes well up again. I couldn’t have planned such a lovely interaction, and it made a special day even more so.

Of course, as well as the proposal portraits, I was also there to capture images of Whisky on his own:

His sweet face and charming nature attracted many compliments from passers by. Isn’t he handsome?

We started our meandering walk back to the car park, stopping at locations on the way for portraits of the newly-engaged couple:

To finish up, we headed back to Sarah-Jane and Rhys’ home, to capture portraits of their two cats, Jax and Poppy (oh, and a souvenir picture of the ring on the Stowe map):

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Afterwards, Sarah said:

“I cannot thank Sarah enough…
-For helping my fiancée arrange the proposal he imagined during our planned photoshoot.
-For capturing the moment so perfectly.
-For helping us choose our outfits.
-For the stunning images that followed.
-For her attitude and conversation, keeping us relaxed.
-For keeping sane while she revealed our photos in front of a (rather large) family audience!
-For the wonderful blog post.
-For everything 🙂

If you’re interested in portrait photography, please get in contact by emailing [email protected] or submitting the form below:

Sarah Plater LMPA is a qualified, professional portrait photography based in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

(c) Sarah Plater Photography