Sweet Surprise Proposal at the North Carolina Museum of Art

The NC Museum of Art is one of my favorite places to take pictures, but this was the first time I got to shoot a surprise proposal at the museum! Joshua reached out to me a few days beforehand looking for a photographer. He and his girlfriend Liz were flying into Raleigh all the way from L.A.! They had tickets to the NHL Stadium Series game, and Joshua decided this trip would be the right time to propose.

When Joshua first reached out, he asked if there were any good places to propose near Crabtree Valley mall, where they had brunch reservations. I told him that I didn’t know of any great places there, but I gave him a couple of other options within a short driving distance. One of these was the NC Museum of Art. He saw a picture of the iconic three rings and decided that it would be a great spot! (These rings are called the Gyre according to the museum’s website.)

About the Park at the North Carolina Museum of Art

If you’ve never been here before, you may be thinking that an art museum sounds like a weird place to take pictures! However, one really cool thing about the NC Museum of Art is its 164-acre outdoor park. It has tons of walking trails among fields and trees. Along the path are cool modern art sculptures to enjoy. The park is incredibly visitor-friendly with ample parking, free admission, nice visitor bathrooms, and tables and chairs.

Surprise Proposal Day

On the day of the proposal, I got to the museum park a little early and texted Joshua pictures to show him where to find the three rings (aka the Gyre). I waited behind a nearby tree for them to arrive. When I saw Joshua and Liz approaching, I left the cover of my tree and pretended to take pictures of some college students hanging out at the rings. They probably thought I was really weird for coming up, but thankfully they didn’t say anything!

When the college students left, Joshua and Liz stepped up for their turn. When Liz’s back was turned, Joshua dropped to one knee! Liz turned around and was completely surprised–in the best way!!! She had been wanting Joshua to propose, but had no idea he would be doing it today! It was such an incredibly sweet moment. I captured a few candid pictures of the couple. Then I stepped forward to officially introduce myself and take some nice portraits of them together.

The sun was pretty harsh at the rings since it was the early afternoon, so I brought them over to a nearby willow tree. That way we were able to take some nice portraits with beautiful filtered light. Through every photo you can see just how happy the two of them are! It was so sweet.

The North Carolina Museum of Art was a beautiful spot to propose! What a cool story to get to take back to their friends and family in L.A. I am incredibly honored to have gotten to capture the moment for Joshua and Liz!

Looking for a spot to take engagement pictures? Check out this list of 10 Best Places for Engagement Photos in the Raleigh-Durham area!