From Airport to 'Yes': A Last-Minute Proposal in Stockholm
Surprise proposal photographer stockholm
Some proposals take months to plan. Others come together in just a few days...
With the right vision and the right person behind the camera, the "last-minute" doesn't need to mean rushed.
What it means instead is a perfectly planned sequence of events that can lead you to your perfect moment, even if you landed just hours before!
"We're coming to Stockholm in 3 days and I want to propose during golden hour. Are you available on such a short notice?"
When Dominik from Switzerland reached out to me, he and his girlfriend were only three days away from their flight to Stockholm. He knew he wanted to propose to her but realised, as nerves kicked in, that he didn't want to stress about proposing & trying to capture it all at the same time and that's how I found his urgent question in my mailbox.
He already had a rough idea about the proposal—but he wanted professional help to make it perfect and most importantly, effortless. With only a few days to go before they landed in Sweden, I cleared space in my calendar, and we dove straight into planning. But while logistics and exact plan were something I could easily control, weather on the other hand was a completely different story...
From Plane to Proposal: The Challenge of Timing It Just Right
Chasing Sunset in Stockholm With Only Hours to Spare
The day that Dominik initially wanted to propose was forecasted to be grey and overcast. That would normally not be problem because grey days make the colours of the city truly pop. But when your vision is golden hour it's hard to get excited for such forecast. Especially, when you know that the day of your arrival offers nothing but clear skies, golden light, and that killer Nordic sunset.
I knew that their landing was scheduled barely 2 hours before the sun set but when I saw that forecast I knew I couldn't let it slide without trying. And so I proposed a crazy idea. I barely had any hope that Dominik would go for something like that. Little did I know that our planning skills and dedication to make this moment truly epic were about to be matched!
What followed was a beautifully orchestrated surprise proposal that started at the airport and ended with golden-hour memories and Swedish semla buns in the heart of Stockholm!
Creating the Illusion of Spontaneity: The Clever Booking.com Trick
How He Got Her to the Proposal Spot Without Raising Suspicion
Because the timing was tight we figured that they needed to take the express train from the airport "Arlanda Express" that would get them to the Stockholm Central Station in just 20 minutes. They would then store their luggage at the station and take a "walk" from there to the proposal spot. We were both aware of the fact that Dominik's girlfriend would be highly suspicious of this and so we needed to make these sequences of steps appear spontaneous and "last minute" decisions.
And so we came up with THE plan that Dominik started to put into works already at the airport. You see it helped that Dominik was an IT guy because he faked an entire email from booking.com that looked completely legit telling them that due to a mixup their room wouldn’t be ready until evening. He even added a part about complimentary breakfast from the hotel as an apology to make it more believable. I mean talk about the attention to detail, right? He scheduled the email to be sent to his mailbox so his phone got a notification in front of her, making it even more believable that this was happening outside of their control. He showed it to her on the train from the airport, and she agreed: let’s drop the bags at the station and go for a walk.
She had no idea this casual stroll would end with the biggest question of their lives.
Chasing sunset through Stockholm in that "just-engaged" glow
I followed them from a distance as they arrived at the proposal spot. The sun dipped lower, painting Stockholm in golden light. And just like that—he dropped to one knee.
Tears. Laughter. An excited yes.
After the proposal, we took an adventurous walk through the city, soaking in the glow of the evening and their new chapter. We wrapped up with a cozy fika stop, where they tried Swedish pastries together for the first time as an engaged couple.
Proposal Photographer in Stockholm
Proposal Photographer in Stockholm
