A Surprise Proposal in London - the Arch Beneath Westminster Bridge - Laura and Luke
Before the Proposal
Luke contacted me in early June and told me about his and his girlfriend Laura’s plans to visit Europe for 5 weeks during July and August. He told me that Laura loved London and was really looking forward to visiting all the landmarks, which is why he was thinking of proposing to her in London.
Choosing the Location
Luke was considering proposing at the arch beneath Westminster Bridge, opposite Big Ben but wasn’t entirely sure. During our video call, we looked at the photos from a previous proposal I had photographed there - Alexandra and Miguel’s proposal, and it was enough for Luke to fall in love with the location.
Photographing the Proposal
The time we agreed on was 9 am because the spot tends to get pretty busy after that and Luke wanted as much of a private setting as possible. I was going to be exactly on time, but I normally get to proposals at least 30 minutes beforehand which gives me time to adjust to any unforeseen circumstances. I decided to message Luke and ask him to slow them down so I get some time to set up my cameras and get ready.
Little did I know - he took my request quite literally. They didn’t mean to but got on the wrong bus to get to the location and ended up being almost an hour late. It actually worked great for me as I had time to set my cameras up, adjust all settings, get ready, take some establishing photos and so forth. I did get worried when they hadn’t showed up half an hour later so I dropped Luke a message to make sure everything was okay.
Luke executed the plan perfectly. They took a few selfies with the Big Ben in the background and just when Laura thought they were about to leave, Luke got the ring out of his pocket and dropped to one knee.
After the Proposal
After Luke introduced me to Laura we had a quick chat and we did what I always do with couples after their proposals - we got lost in London for about an hour, they were being themselves, celebrating their engagement and having lovely moments and I was capturing their real connection, intimacy and joy.
It was an absolute bliss getting to know Laura and Luke and being a part of something so special for them.
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About Me
Hi, I’m Stan and I’m a documentary wedding photographer based in Folkestone, Kent. I also enjoy working as a proposal photographer in London and the UK. My approach and style are all about beautifully capturing the candid moment - natural, authentic and unposed. Find out more about how I photograph proposals here or find out more about me.
