Sunrise Surprise Proposal At Gorham Mountain Trail
Jack reached out to me about proposing to his long term girlfriend during their trip to Acadia exactly a month prior to their trip. He knew he wanted to propose either during sunrise or sunset, but was going back and forth, until he saw photos of sunrise at Gorham Mountain Trail and decided to do it there! The month leading up to the proposal we spent a lot of time going back and forth about the date - he was waiting for the ring to be ready and wanted to make sure it would be done in time for the trip so that he could propose!
It’s Go Time
Finally, I received confirmation from him that he had the ring, so we were all set to really begin planning! We spoke on the phone going over the proposal plan - sunrise was at 5:47am that morning, so i suggested he propose right at 5:47am so that he could catch the changing colors in the sky. I also let him know that I would be up there before him and that most likely I'd be the only other one up there, so it would be easy for him to find me and know where to stop hiking. I started my hike that morning at 5am and was up there by 5:25am, just enough time for me to catch my breath and set up my camera! It was still pretty dark at this time, so I was glad we had decided to wait until 5:47am at sunrise when it'd be much brighter out! At about 5:35am, Jack and Bella arrived - Bella completely unaware I was there to take photos of her engagement.
Staying Hidden
I stood up on a rock a little bit higher than them so that I could have a good vantage point of them both and take a few photos of them discreetly beforehand. By this time the sun was starting to rise and we had a better idea of where exactly in the sky the sun would rise, and noticing this, Jack discreetly messaged me making sure I could capture them standing in a different spot so that the sun would be directly behind them - of course I said yes! He then told me that he was going to have Bella ask me to take a photo of the two of them (he had brought his own camera!) and that when she gave me the camera, to just use my camera instead and that she wouldn't notice. We moved over to the spot where the sun rise would be behind them for me to take photos, and I had them turn and look out at the ocean to see the sun coming up - this was Jack's cue to propose! They both turned to look and when Bella turned back around, Jack as down on one knee! It was an easy "yes" from Bella!
"Janelle did a great job capturing such an important moment. She was great with suggesting a location and ironing out all the logistics. She was also very responsive throughout the process and had an answer for everything. I would say she is definitely a pro, especially when it comes to bar harbor/Acadia. The pictures also came out better than I could have expected. Everything start to finish was great thanks to Janelle! Would recommend her services 10/10 times!" -- Jack
My Top Tips On Coordinating A Surprise Sunrise Proposal
You need to know what time the sun rises to make sure you can plan the proposal right around the time the sun will rise to make sure you have enough light for photos since it will be pretty dark in the morning right up until sunrise. If you're hiking, you need to make sure you have the proper gear to hike up since it will be pretty dark - I wore a headlamp which worked perfectly! You'll also need to time your arrival a little bit before actual sunrise so that you can set up your camera and take into account it'll also still be dark, so you'll need to constantly adjust your camera settings leading up to sunrise since the lighting will constantly change. Sunrise proposals do require both photographer and client to wake up super early, but the benefit is that usually there will be no one else around making the moment extra private!
Inquire here and let’s plan and create the best surprise sunrise proposal!!
