A Perfect Proposal in Frederiksberg Gardens: Lucy & Tiffany

6 hours ago

4 min read

Lesbian couple enjoying their engagement photo session in Frederiksberg Gardens, Copenhagen

Planning a Proposal From Across the Ocean

When Lucy first reached out, she was still in the US. Copenhagen was thousands of kilometers away, and she was planning to propose to Tiffany here. That meant every detail had to be worked out from a distance, which is often how it goes when I work as a Copenhagen proposal photographer for couples living abroad.

We went back and forth over email with Lucy. Lucy's original idea was Frederiksberg Gardens, a spot she had scouted on an earlier visit before she ever left the US. After I sent her a video walkthrough of other spots in Frederiksberg Gardens, she changed course. The bridge won her over instead.

Choosing the Perfect Time and Spot

Timing mattered just as much as the spot. We planned everything for the evening: soft light, fewer people, none of the midday crowds Copenhagen gets in July. The proposal itself was set for around 6 pm, with a picnic beforehand at 5 pm.

The Picnic Before the Proposal

Lucy asked what to bring, and I told her to keep it simple and safe. Copenhagen is a gentle city, but it's still smart not to leave anything valuable lying around. So she packed the things that matter for a proper picnic: champagne, fruit, a few snacks, and hid the blanket near the trees ahead of time before coming to the proposal spot together with Tiffany.

One detail Lucy told me beforehand: she wasn't going to kneel. It was the first proposal I'd photographed like that, and I loved it. Small, unexpected choices like that are what make a surprise proposal feel like theirs and no one else's.

The Moment Itself

When it was almost time, I took my place on a bench nearby, doing my best impression of someone just enjoying a quiet evening alone. Then Tiffany, who loves birds, spotted some nearby and started walking straight toward where I was sitting. For a second I thought I'd been spotted too. She hadn't recognized me at all. She and Lucy had simply followed the birds.

That was the strange magic of the evening. Birds kept appearing around them the whole time, and with Tiffany's love for them, it felt less like coincidence and more like the evening had arranged itself around her. Lucky for us, the area behind the bridge stayed quiet until right after the moment itself. The second Tiffany said yes, people began to arrive. The timing could not have worked out better.

Tiffany was shocked, happy, completely present. She introduced herself to me right after, not realizing we'd already exchanged messages about her with Lucy. It's one of my favorite parts of this job: watching someone learn, mid-joy, that the person taking their photos already knows their whole story.

What stayed with me afterward was how much thought Lucy put into every layer of it: the light, the location, the blanket, the choice not to kneel. None of it was left to chance.

After the Yes: A Couple Photography Session in the Garden

After the proposal, we kept shooting around the garden for their couple photography session. My favorite frame from the day is the two of them running near the one at the Apistemplet (The Apis Temple), the spot Lucy had first considered before choosing the bridge for the proposal itself. It's often my favorite kind of photo to take, because it's the moment couples stop performing for the camera and start being with each other. Those are the photos they'll still love when they're eighty.

At one point, after we finished the session, we sat, and Tiffany called their mom. Tiffany said the words herself: "Mom, I have a fiancé." I recorded the call so they'd have it forever. It's a small thing to witness, and also not small at all.

What We Talked About While We Had Time

Toward the end, we sat and talked for a bit, no camera in hand. Tiffany mentioned how many kids she'd noticed around Copenhagen, families everywhere. I told her that's true, and that raising kids in Denmark really is something special. The state supports you through pregnancy and after birth in a way that makes a real difference, and I shared a bit of my own experience with that as a mother here. (I've written more about my own natural postpartum journey here if you want the fuller story.)

They'd also noticed how many same-sex couples they saw around the city. I told them that's the thing about Copenhagen: people are free to be whoever they are here. It's one of the most beautiful things about raising my baby in this place, knowing she can grow up being absolutely anything she wants without being judged for it. That's Copenhagen. Almost no one judges.

A Proposal Session I Still Think About

This Frederiksberg Gardens proposal happened in July, and it’s September now, and I still think about that evening, and I'm sure I will still think about it when I am 80 years old. Lucy and Tiffany radiated something special from the very first photos Lucy sent me before the big day. I knew then it would be a beautiful session. It was.

Lucy told me she’d done a lot of research before landing on Bigwig Photography. She said she’d chosen the best.

I won’t argue with her. 🤭🤍