Temecula Wine Country Proposal – Leoness Winery
New on the blog today is this Temecula Winery Proposal which took place out at the beautiful Leoness Cellars. I’ve done a few of wedding proposals in Temecula now [I think 4 in total] and keep getting asked more and more to do it!! Which is rad and I’m glad this is becoming a thing cause its just too freakin cool and I thrive on that surprise element!
Planning a Temecula Winery Proposal –
Planning to propose is no easy task. You obviously want it to be perfect… but be careful not to make it too perfect!! I mean you don’t want to go so far over the top that your boyfriend or girlfriend sees it coming a mile away. If you are doing things that are uncharacteristic of you and acting all sorts of nervous!? yeah… that is a good way to get caught in the act before you even have a chance to deliver the goods. So be aware of that and play it cool and do little things to throw off the scent whenever possible. I remember planning the proposal to Jess. I had all kinds of good stuff planned <<if you want you can actually read our engagement story here>> However, I chose to propose on her birthday so that when it came down to it no matter how crazy things got there was no way she could see if coming. Annnnnd it worked.
Fortunately for anyone planning on doing a wedding proposal in Temecula, planning a proposal out here isnt hard to do. There are over 30 wineries in the area to choose from and most are EXTREMELY accommodating when it comes to helping ya in pulling this off. Videmia Winery was great in accommodating a Temecula hot air balloon wedding proposal as was Thornton Winery in accommodating a Temecula helicopter wedding proposal.
Leoness Cellars Proposal Story
This is my second proposal at Leoness Cellars and today I’m gonna do something a little different than I have done in the past. Im going to roll through this shoot with a light play by play and tell ya my approach :) Im also gonna drop in words from the couple themselves on the experience of the day from their perspective. So whether you are planning your proposal in temecula, or even a photographer doing the research on just how to photograph a proposal, I think this should be a cool little blog post that all can enjoy.
Starting with the pic above: I rolled up to the group and let em know I’m with Leoness Winery and taking pics for the winery and for promotional use. In this case I told em they may end up on the new brochure they are putting out. Prior to this I have already met with Amber [in white] and the other girls are in on it too. The only one who has no clue is Sam [in black] and fortunately when I mention this opportunity to model for Leoness Winery’s new brochure, she is ALL ABOUT it! I mean, check out that face below, she is really diggin it!! I feel bad lying to her at this point as there is no brochure and this isn’t a promotional shoot… in fact, what is about to go down in the next couple minutes is sooooo much better. lol
Its at this point that I have her trust and I tell Sam and Amber I want a shot of just the two of them out in the vines… at which point they break off from the others and Amber leads Sam to a predetermined spot and drops down on one knee as planned. Annnnnd this leads us into our first question for the couple!!
What was your most memorable moment ?
Its right around this point that they are laughing and talking that Sam realizes that there was no brochure photos being taken and the whole thing was a total setup… annnnnnnnd I was totally in on it and making it happen. The glance she shoots my way in the pic below says it all. lol Im dying from laughter. Too good.
People are laughing, people are crying.. its a whole lot of emotions all over and it makes for great photos. Im not gonna lie, sometimes setting wedding proposals up is a LOT more nerve wracking than photographing a wedding. I mean, there are absolutely no repeats in either but when it comes down to it, having that element of surprise and being stealth in getting it and landing it can be tricky. You have to shoot my heart and feel whats coming at ya next to be in the right place always keeping in mind that anything can happen! thankfully Sam said “yes!” [otherwise this would have been a whole different kind of shoot] ;)
From here we roll out and take a bunch of photos together, engagement style… but they are typically way more fun and a whole lot easier than that because 1) these two have been drinking already and are all smiles. 2) the newly engaged buzz has them in a bubble and all they can do is laugh, smile and play with each other. Its a slam dunk. Oh, and speaking of slam dunks I will come out quickly and say that I was totally intimidated in shooting the two of them beforehand because I have NEVER in the 8 or so years I have been doing this photographed two women that towered over me. lol
I met Amber at Leoness Winery about a month before this to go over everything. Talk about a game plan and come up with the details in order to insure everything went according to plan on the big day. I was shocked at my initial meeting to see that she was about 6 foot 5″ I asked her is her fiancee to be was tall as well and she said “yeah shes a few inches shorter, but not much.” Ohhh great. I had my work cut out for me. Im just under 6 ft myself but had never shot up on a couple like this before… but I worked my angles and stood on anything I could to keep it flattering at eye level and above whenever possible.
What were some of your favorite details from the day?
Sam:
How our entire day felt like any other day. There was no give away for the surprise at all! I loved thinking we were going to be shot for a brochure for the winery. The attention to timing was superb and the location of where the engagement pictures were taken made for our still shots perfect to be captured forever.
Amber:
Why did you choose the venue?
What advice would you give to others planning a proposal?
Amber:
Not everything will go as planned but just go with the flow! Be your natural self and everything else will follow.
If you enjoyed these photos and are planning your wedding proposal in Temecula or are beyond that and looking for a kick ass temecula wedding photographer that thrives in the moment and captures authentic wedding day photos [the kind that cant be repeated] you have come to the right place! scroll up and hit the contact section and call us or drop us an email so we can get out rock the cam for you :))))))
