Small, quiet, and covered in moss — the kind of garden in Nara where you instinctively find yourself speaking in a lower voice. That was where we had planned to do this surprise proposal, and it turned out to be exactly the setting we had hoped for.

He and I had spent some time picking the location together beforehand. We had wanted somewhere with as few tourists as possible, somewhere that would feel like theirs for the moment. This garden — with its moss carpeting the ground, the quiet greenery all around, and the sense that time was moving a little slower inside of it — was as close to perfect as anywhere in Nara.

They arrived right on time. There were only a handful of other visitors, and the atmosphere was as still as we could have asked for. He proposed exactly as we had talked through together, and she was truly, beautifully surprised. She had not seen it coming at all. His proposal itself was so beautiful — quiet, tender, and so clearly full of love — and watching that soft joy unfold between the two of them was one of those moments that carries you along too. I felt so much happiness through the camera in that moment, and I am so glad I was the one there to catch it for them.

After we had spent some more time in the garden, we walked over to Nara Park. It happened to be baby deer season, and to our great luck, we even got to spend a few minutes with one of the tiniest little ones we came across. Honestly, they were so gentle with the deer — even without any shika senbei to hand out — that the deer really seemed to relax around them. We ended up with some of the most natural deer photos I have taken in a long time because of it.

The weather was clear, the light was soft, and the conversation ran through everything from anime to travel plans and back again. The whole session had a soft, easy feeling to it. Being chosen to be the one photographing this important morning meant a lot to me — thank you both for that, and thank you for making the whole day so fun to be part of.

Congratulations to you both — I really hope life brings you back to Japan again soon.

If you are dreaming of a surprise proposal in a quieter part of Nara, Kyoto, or Osaka, you can find the details on my Nara packages here.