This was a first for us! After more than a decade of photographing proposals in Acadia National Park, we had a request for doing it without the proposee knowing. A doubly secret surprise proposal in Acadia. Meaning, we would have zero contact with the couple. A ton of the fun we have as Acadia proposal photographers is getting to spend time together, so initially we were a little bummed. But, Mack did such an amazing job communicating, that we felt as though we knew both him, Lauren and pup Scout.
From Indiana, Mack works as a firefighter and Lauren a nurse. Scout works as a full time superhero, also known as Squish. Both Lauren and Mack are caring, compassionate givers who value family and friends. And have a love for National Parks. They met pre-pandemic through their career overlap, but didn’t begin dating until a few weeks prior to lockdown. Mack is a beautiful writer, so we’ll let him take it from here:
“With all the fear, angst, uncertainty in the world at that time I ended up moving into the fire station for a little over a month. Given her same exposures at the time we frequently saw each other, and we moved fast. Real fast, I ended up moving in by April of that year. With what seemed to have the world on fire, we grew together, and truthfully we needed each other badly. We helped each other go through a pandemic, and not only that but become better providers and people because of it. In 2022 when the world eased up, we actually had to relearn how to operate and be a team in not an always stressed out environment.”
The proposal plan was to find a location offering relative privacy, dog friendliness, and with the best Acadia vibes. We recommended a spot along the Park Loop, where parking wasn’t an issue (yes, such a thing still exists!) Sending Mack videos, photos and navigation to bring him to the right location. And sharing phone location. We weren’t leaving any windows for error open! Mack wasn’t either, as he did a dry run the day before to make sure he was familiar with the spot.
Ironically, we saw them the night before in Bar Harbor. Again, making us feel like we already knew them. But, playing it off as though we were just another couple visiting the island, and basically ignoring them.
Mack’s proposal vision: “I see trying to convince her to take some ‘white girl, influencer photos.’ As she looks on to the horizon. Then having our dog start walking towards her and stopping to sit, or heeled to me. Ask her to turn around and she will see me on my knee, and the ring clipped to the dog in some fashion, asking her to marry. Then have some joyful tearful laughs and smiles.”
The previous few days had been overcast, but on proposal morning the sun was peeking through. With sunset at 5:30, we began getting into place around 3pm. Keith and I hid in plain site as we normally do. But, this time we both used telephoto lenses. Mack’s vision played out perfectly. Lauren was so overwhelmed by the surprise engagement, she never noticed us. And we slipped out afterwards, leaving them to soak in the moment. It was hard leaving, knowing we wouldn’t get to continue taking photos on such a gorgeous day with a photogenic, super happy couple. Also, desperately wanting to give Squish some love. We are grateful to Mack for sending us some phone pics after, and for keeping in touch.
Almost a year later, we are posting these photos still smiling. Lauren and Mack eloped a few days ago in the San Juan mountains, and the surprise was finally revealed. Mack presented Lauren with a photo book of their autumn secret engagement in Acadia as a wedding gift.
We hope to have them all return to the island so we can properly meet and celebrate! Family photo session in Acadia?
Let us help you plan your own secret Acadia proposal:
It really is our favorite place on the planet and certainly one of the top National Parks in the country! Our process for Acadia proposals starts with getting to know the proposer and understanding what their vision of the event is. We’ll then work with you to find the best location and time of day to propose in Acadia and work with you in any way we can to help with the remainder of the planning and keeping it a secret.
If proposing in Acadia along the Park Loop at sunset is what speaks to you, then we’re all for helping you plan it. And we can help you find the perfect spot with fewer people and stress-free parking. Kate has been visiting Acadia every year since she was a child and introduced Keith when they shot their first wedding together there. We now spend the majority of the season exploring the park while we stay at our family’s home in Somesville. It is with this passion and knowledge of the park that we can find the perfect place for your surprise proposal in Acadia National Park and be there with you to photograph the first chapter in your wedding story.
We intentionally don’t give out too many of our secrets here for the benefit of our couples. If you’re interested in working with us to photograph your fall surprise proposal in Acadia we’d love to chat with you! Let’s start making plans! Contact us now!
View more of our Acadia National Park proposals, engagements, and wedding photos!
Get more information about Acadia from the National Park Service 