There is one large bridge tucked inside one of the quieter, more spacious parks in Kyoto — the kind of spot that looks made for a moment like this. That is where we had planned the proposal to happen.

He and I had spent some real time picking the location together beforehand. We wanted somewhere with a bit of space, somewhere with beautiful scenery, and — more than anything — somewhere private enough that this moment could belong just to them. The bridge fit all of that. My only worry going into the morning was whether a few local walkers might pass through at the wrong moment, but as it turned out, we had the spot entirely to ourselves.

He arrived right on schedule, and everything unfolded exactly the way we had planned. She had absolutely no idea what was coming — no hint of suspicion at all — and when he actually asked, her surprise was completely genuine. She was so happy, and watching him watch her reaction was just as beautiful. Standing there with my camera up, I felt so lucky to be included in a moment that clearly meant so much to both of them.

After the proposal itself, we kept walking and shooting throughout the rest of the park. This place is such a quiet gem — full of gentle changes in scenery. We stopped near one of the ponds, then walked over to a spot with these huge, tall trees where the light came filtering through the leaves so beautifully. Later, we found a small river running through the park and took some photos there too. It was the kind of session where every ten minutes we found ourselves in a completely different landscape without ever leaving the same park.

They loved every single photo I showed them on the back of the camera, which honestly made my morning. Their energy was so warm the entire hour — I finished the session smiling.

Thank you so much for choosing me to be there for such an important moment, and for trusting the plan we had built together. Congratulations to both of you — I am really happy for you, and I hope life brings you back to Japan sometime.

If you are dreaming up a private, spacious surprise proposal spot in Kyoto, my Kyoto packages are right here.