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Scott and Danielle’s Central Park Zoo engagement was an epic proposal I’ll never forget. Scott and Danielle are members of the Zoo, so planned a nice day trip to explore the zoo with a few of their closest friends. In front of the seal exhibit, Scott dropped to his knee proposing to Danielle. She was blown away. A huge gaggle of friends and family rushed in cheering with signs and flowers. Scott and Danielle’s Proposal was a party proposal to the max.  They are the epitome #relationshipgoals for all who know them. It was an honor to photograph the big surprise – Ash Fox

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central park zoo proposal

 

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Kevin proposed over a casual Sunday picnic on Governors Island, an interesting little pocket of land just a short ferry ride from lower Manhattan. It was a warm August Sunday and the perfect day for a quiet picnic in the park. I spied on Kevin and his future fiancé in the moments before Kevin proposed, photographing them discreetly. When he dropped to his knee she was so shocked and excited and amazed he pulled off a picnic in the park and having a photographer there to capture it. Once I revealed myself, we spent some time strolling around the lush and green park getting some nice engagement photos. It was such a pleasure photographing this relaxed, late summer afternoon proposal for Kevin and his stunning fiancé! – Ash Fox

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Ryan contacted me nearly a year in advance to make sure he could lock in the date of Christmas Eve in order to propose to the love of his life  during their trip to NYC. Ryan and Elisa are from Perth, Australia. Ryan told me he saw Elisa walking on a beach back home and said to his friend “That’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’m going to marry her”.

Ryan wanted to really WOW Elisa, so chose to propose to Elisa on a Times Square Billboard. The Times Square Billboard Proposal is one of the most amazing ways to proclaim your love and create a moment that feels straight out of a movie. There are 50,000 people who walk through Times Square each day, so proposing on a billboard in the center of Times Square really feels like your marriage proposal is for the whole world to see. Ryan took Elisa to the center of Times Square on one of the warmest Christmas Eve evening I can ever remember. I waited for them to approach and captured those moments before Elisa looked up and saw her name in lights on a billboard in the middle of times Square featuring a picture of her and the words “Will You Marry me Elisa”. She turned to Ryan and there he was on his knee proposing to her. She was WOW-ed. The Perth Times loved this proposal so much they covered it in a Newspaper article you can see here…

http://www.perthnow.com.au/news/western-australia/perth-romeo-ryan-veitch-puts-partners-name-up-in-lights-at-new-yorks-times-square-for-epic-proposal/news-story/877c5a996f371ba54e5cd853bf90e55e

If you would like to propose in the middle of Times Square on a Billboard like Ryan, feel free to get in touch so I can help you make it happen! :) I offer Billboard Marriage Proposal packages to rent a Billboard in the middle of Times Square with a message of your choice and  capture your engagement with photography.  – Ash Fox

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Paras’s proposal is one of my all time favorite proposals, because Paras carefully considered what his girlfriend would like and tailored it to her interests. Paras told me his girlfriend loves books and said he’d like to propose in a library but he wasn’t sure about doing it in an actual Library because there are restrictions and you need certain permission.  I found Paras the perfect location to achieve the library feel for his proposal without having to deal with permits or cranky librarians. We settled on a beautiful, sunny, Library Bar room where he could have a leisurely a late afternoon drink with his girlfriend and discreetly hide one of her favorite books in plain sight. Since Paras’s future fiancé’s favorite book of all time is Jane Eyre,  Paras knew hshe saw Jane Eyre on the shelf she would without a doubt pull it down off the shelf. Paras was certain should would fall into his trap and she did! I watched from a nearby table with a large newspaper obscuring my face and camera (like the spy proposal photographer I am) and saw Paras’s future fiancé pull the book down from the shelf.  She opened the book and out spilled paper hearts from a larger heart cut into the book with a photo of them and a written dedication from Paras. She looked  up at Paras, in awe of the book and there he was down on his knee proposing to her. It was beautiful. You don’t need a circus to make a great proposal (unless your girlfriend LOVES the circus) just a lot of heart. DSC_3460

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Brendan’s proposal in Long Island City was a party! Brendan chose to propose to his girlfriend on the waterfront where they live. The Long Island City waterfronts is one of the best kept secret proposal locations in all of New York City. Long Island City (despite it’s confusing name) is located just a short five minute ferry ride across from midtown Manhattan in Queens. It features the most iconic skyline view you can get, because you can see both the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. I highly recommend this location as an alternative to Dumbo because it’s much less crowded, closer to midtown Manhattan and the view is equally beautiful.

Brendan had his best friends waiting along the waterfront with their backs turned, holding signs spelling out “Will You Marry Me” When his girlfriend approached, they flipped the signs, and Brendan proposed!

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long island city proposal

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Steven and his girlfriend Estefany had just moved to NYC. and to top off the big move he chose to propose to her overlooking the city where they are beginning a new life together. I’ve seen hundreds of incredible  proposals, but Estefany’s reaction really moved me. “You could have given me a piece of string and I would have been happy.” she’s that kind of girl. It was an honor to be there for this sweet and beautiful couple.  – Ash

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Cherry Blossom Season is approaching. We had such an unseasonably mild winter this year in NYC so the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom earlier than usual. I’m guessing they’ll be in full bloom by the first week of April. So if you’re thinking of proposing in a park and want to upping the ante on floral beauty, consider proposing during the cherry blossom peak!

Where are the best places to see the cherry blossoms in the NYC area? My 3 favorites are…

  • Central Park
  • The Brooklyn Botanical Garden http://www.bbg.org
  • Branch Brook Park Newark, NJ

Jeroen timed his proposal perfectly in sync with the cherry blossom bloom. Timing is as essential with cherry blossoms as with marriage proposals. Central Park is beautiful all year round, but peak Cherry Blossom bloom is majestic.

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This magical marriage proposal was one of my favorite winter NYC proposals last season. I love this proposal because instead of choosing the obvious location choice,  Rockefeller Center (which I also love but is much more common), Maurice chose to propose by the Christmas tree at the Southstreet Seaport. The NY South Street Seaport is a very popular summer destination, but it is equally amazing during the holidays. Like Rockefeller Center, Southstreet seaport features another enormous gorgeous Christmas tree and a fun skating rink but it’s 10x less crowded than Rockefeller. It is a wonderful alternative spot if you’re looking for a festive place to propose in New York City during Christmas Season or New Years and want to avoid crowds. – Ash Fox

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Fall is really one of the best seasons in NYC. It’s finally the perfect temperature to do anything without complaining that it’s too hot or too cold. Everything everywhere from coffee to pizza is pumpkin and cinnamon flavored. Everyone’s smiling. That drink isn’t spiked is spiced! Black is back, and it’s leather weather! There are other reasons to smile now that it’s fall. NYC is very romantic in the fall…  remember that Wynonna Ryder movie “Autumn in New York?” Fall in New York is the perfect season to propose and the colors, cozy clothing, and ideal temperature make it the perfect engagement portrait season.

NYC Autumn Proposal Tips

  • embrace the peak foliage which generally happens mid-late October through early November!
  • take advangtage of light layers, a blazer or bulky sweater with large pockets is the perfect place to stash a ring…summer makes for trickier ring hiding issues
  • enjoy a day trips outside the city, some of the best fall foliage can be seen in upstate NY and central NJ

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Get inspired by these gorgeous Fall proposals 

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Autumn Proposal Location Ideas & fun Fall Activities

  • Dia Beacon – the incredible sculpture center in Beacon NY featuring the work of Robert Smithson, Louise Bourgeois and Richard Serra among others
  • Apple Picking!
  • The Jack o Lantern Maze in Upstate NY
  • Cold Springs
  • Duke Farms NJ – Doris Dukes stunning property is now a park open to the public
  • The Dog Halloween Parade in Tompkins Square Park one of my favorite fun fall activities
  • Brooklyn Botanical Gardens – an extremely romantic fall venue for your proposal,  right next to the Brooklyn Museum

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Dumbo Proposal

 

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I absolutely loved shooting Andrew’s proposal in the West Village on a cool crisp November morning. He and his stunning fiancé live in the West Village so he surprised her before Sunday brunch after grabbing coffee and strolling through one of their favorite local parks in the West Village. With their perfectly coordinated outfits, good looks, and the ambiance of the fall foliage I felt like I was shooting Ralph Lauren’s Fall fashion campaign! NYC ladies are so fashionable that even just caught off guard on a regular Sunday morning they look picture perfect!
When New York City locals propose a lot of times we talk about integrating the proposal into a regular day so that she doesn’t see it coming. NYC ladies have seen it all and since so many tourists propose in most of the classic postcard New York locations, most  guys and gals like to choose more sentimental spots from their daily lives with their partners such as their favorite restaurants or the park where they sip their Sunday morning coffee :) I have a lot of secret spots up my sleeve from 10 years living in NYC and I’m learning new ones everyday. I hadn’t been to this little park before Andrew told me about it.  People ask me all the time where’s the best place to propose or what’s my favorite kind of proposal to shoot? In my opinion a laid back stroll with the person you love the most is classic romance at it’s finest. Keeping it simple  (my number one proposal tip !) is often times more intimate and cuts down on stress levels for the person proposing.
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Find Ash Fox on Google, Yahoo, and Bing under the search terms:

greenwich village engagement photos, greenwich village engagement portraits, greenwich village proposal, Hire/Book a NYC Photographer, Manhattan Proposal Photographer, marriage proposal ideas, paparazzi proposal, Photographer for Engagement, Photographer for Proposal New York City, Photographer for Proposal NY, Proposal Photographer, proposal photographer nyc, proposal photographer san francisco, proposal photographer sf, proposal photography nyc, proposal tips, Propose to girlfriend NYC, secret proposal, Surprise Proposal Photographer, surprise propose, west village engagement photos, west village engagement portraits, west village marriage proposal, west village proposal, west village wedding proposal

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Diego’s proposal couldn’t have turned out more perfectly. Initially we had planned on Central Park, but last min Diego decided he’d like the proposal to feel even more intimate. He settled on the rooftop of the Hudson hotel, an awesome choice. I actually used to work at the Hudson Hotel back in 2010-11 shooting the weekly rock n’ roll party Ladyland. It’s a gorgeous hotel if you’ve never been! Diego and Maria live in Brazil and he knew she was taking a trip to NYC, so he decided this would be the perfect way to catch her off guard. Diego told Maria’s family (who were in on the surprise) to go suggest going to the hotel for a drink. Maria didn’t even know Diego he was in NYC! Gotta love a double surprise! When Maria arrived Diego was standing waiting for her. She was stunned! It was like a slow motion moment in a movie, just gorgeous and insanely romantic. They embraced and within seconds Diego was on his knee declaring his love to Maria while her family watched in the background. It was truly moving. Congratualtions to this amazing couple!

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Austin proposed to his now fiancé, Amber, on a warm autumn afternoon.  If Autumn is your favorite time of year, Central Park really showcases the beauty of the season to it’s fullest. I suggested the Bow Bridge as one of my favorite classic spots in the park. Amber (no that isn’t Jessica Alba!) was so surprised and elated when Austin dropped to his knee in front of the amazing view of the bridge. They were visiting the city from Florida, so Austin wanted a spot that would capture the unique character of Central Park. I was thrilled to be there to witness and photograph this couple’s magic moment!

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