Planning A Romantic Surprise Proposal at the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco Golden Gate Park
There’s something wildly magical about photographing proposals—especially when they happen in a place as lush, vibrant, and unexpected as the Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Add in two beautiful humans deeply in love, a surprise element that made me hold my breath behind the camera, and a backdrop of tropical greenery? YES PLEASE!
This session had everything I adore: sweet soft emotion, stunning light, two awesome human beings, and one of the sweetest "yes!" moments I’ve ever witnessed.
A Love-Filled Moment in the Jungle of San Francisco
The Conservatory of Flowers is hands-down one of my favorite hidden gems in Golden Gate Park. From the outside, it looks like something out of a Victorian fairytale—pure white glass and symmetry. But step inside, and you're suddenly in a humid, jungle-y dream filled with orchids, palms, and ferns that look like they belong on a movie set. The place honestly felt like a cinematic dream. I was so so so thrilled to be photographing this proposal.
On this particular day, Saturday at 10am on the dot, I was there under the guise of being on a photography date with my husband. We both had our cameras and were “brainstorming which room to go to first in the conservatory” as we stood in line behind Alexandra and Chloé to get into the conservatory.
Spoiler alert: Chloé recognized me from the second I walked up, but she was a great sport and didn’t say anything until after the proposal haha.
Deciding the location
Rewind for a second though: Alexandra contacted me about a month plus before the date she had in mind to propose. She knew she wanted Golden Gate Park and was toying between the Conservatory of Flowers where she and Chloé had been before and the Japanese Tea Gardens. She ended up choosing the Conservatory of Flowers because it held memories of their previous trip. Both are absolutely stunning locations and you can’t go wrong with either though for a proposal.
My husband, who also acted as a second shooter for me to catch a different angle of the proposal, wandered next to me for a while until we got the spot Alexandra wanted to propose: right in front of a massive potted plant and through a stunning circle of plants as a foreground view.
Sidenote: As Alexandra and I brainstormed where inside the Conservatory to propose, we were toying between a couple places. One was in a big room with water and lily pads in front of a metal arch. The other was in front of the potted plant. I advised that we go for location two so that if she wanted to drop on a knee in the moment, she wouldn’t be blocked by a metal archway and we could get a clearer perspective of the proposal. She agreed with that sentiment, hence the final proposal location!
Back to the story - When we got to the potted plants room, my husband and I took position: him casually walking around one side of a hidden area in the same room, and me positioning myself for the straight on money shot.
What we didn’t plan for… was the humidity. I will get to that in a second (see “Lessons Learned”)
Alexandra decided not to get on a knee (both she and Chloé were wearing the PERFECT dresses so it didn’t make sense in that moment for her to), but I knew as soon as she set their stuff down and Alexandra grabbed Chloé’s hands, it was game time. My camera was snapping a mile a minute to capture every single expression possible: the smile, the gaping mouth open surprise when looking at the stunning ring, the laugh, the kiss, and honestly my favorite part, the really really sweet hug that came after all of it.
Why the Conservatory of Flowers Makes a Killer Proposal Spot
If you're planning a proposal in San Francisco and want something green, intimate, and not urban, the Conservatory is a perfect pick. Here’s why:
It’s drop-dead gorgeous inside and out. Between the lush, exotic plants and the soft, diffused light that pours in through the windows, you’re guaranteed beautiful, romantic images.
It feels private, especially if you plan for early opening hour (trust me, it’s worth the alarm clock).
It’s weatherproof. Rainy or cloudy SF day? No problem—the conservatory’s tropical environment is always cozy and photogenic.
Lessons Learned (AKA: My panic so that my lens and the photos didn’t look like a sauna mirror)
Let’s talk real quick about something I wish I had known ahead of time:
📸 Lens fog. Is. Real.
Because we came from the chilly Bay Area fog into the warm, humid tropical air of the Conservatory, our camera lenses instantly fogged up like we had taken them into a spa steam room. I’m talking full blur. My second shooter and I were wiping down glass like our lives depended on it, trying to keep up with the pace of the proposal without missing key moments. Because we had a little under 5 minutes from the moment we walked into the Conservatory of Flowers to the proposal, our lenses did not have time to adjust to the heat, but they also weren’t shocked within a minute of the proposal happening.
So here’s your PSA if you’re planning to shoot in a greenhouse or any humid indoor location:
✨ Let your gear acclimate!
Arrive early, take your lenses out of your bag, and give them time to adjust to the humidity before the big moment. A few extra minutes could save you from a photo series that looks like it was shot through a fog machine. I was super glad that wiping my lens with my clothes in that moment in between photo bursts still allowed me to capture the moment. That is also the plus of having a second shooter at your proposal. Backup!
The Afterglow
After the moment of the proposal, Alexandra pointed my husband and I out to Chloé, so we popped out to introduce ourselves. Unbeknownst to me before that moment, Chloé recognized me from our mutual friend’s Instagram and she had also considered hiring me to capture the first proposal when she proposed to Alexandra just a week earlier (hence getting to photograph BOTH STUNNING RINGS!!!)
(Peep the ring photos below)
Chloé said she knew it was happening the moment she saw my husband and I. LOL at me. Here my husband and I thought we were so sneaky. And the world gets even smaller. I met her in college at my college job and hadn’t remembered! Small world.
After the proposal and exchanging jokes about how my husband and I thought we were sneaky, we all meandered throughout the rest of the Conservatory for the rest of Alexandra and Chloé’s engagement session.
It’s hard to choose a favorite photo spot at the Conservatory because it is all so beautiful, but I think my favorite has to be the room with the lily pads. Capturing reflections from afar across the room is so romantic!!!!
We ended the engagement session portion of our photos by sneaking some photos from in between the insanely beautiful purple and blue flowers out front of the Conservatory!
These are my favorite kinds of sessions—the ones that feel like I get to press pause on real life and capture the in-between moments. The love, the planning, the surprise, the joy.
See more photos from this gallery and other proposal galleries here!
Planning Your Own Proposal at the Conservatory?
If you’re thinking about popping the question somewhere meaningful, magical, and full of character, Golden Gate Park—and especially the Conservatory of Flowers—might just be your place. And if you're looking for a photographer who will help plan the perfect timing, sneak around with stealthy camera skills, and hype you up every step of the way—I'm your girl.
Couple things to note:
-I recommend going at the VERY opening of the Conservatory. It gets busy quickly, and in order to note have other people in your photos, you should get there at the start (leaving a couple extra minutes for your gear acclimation don’t forget).
-You do not need a permit to photograph as long as there are 5 or less people in your party. If you have more people, you technically will need a permit to photograph at the Conservatory of Flowers. For more info on permits for film, video, or photography at the Conservatory of Flowers or other Golden Gate Park locations, visit https://sfrecpark.org/428/Film-Video-and-Photo.
💍 Ready to plan your proposal or engagement photos in San Francisco?
I photograph love stories big and small—with all the emotion, laughter, and genuine connection that makes your relationship yours. Whether it’s a surprise proposal in the middle of a conservatory or a sun-soaked engagement session somewhere else in the Bay Area to capture the photos you need for wedding announcements, a website, social media, etc., I’ll be there to document it all beautifully.
If you want to see more of my work and engage with me, let’s connect on Instagram!
