Botanical Gardens Surprise Proposal and Engagement Photoshoot during Montreal Chinese Lanterns Festival- Avi & Salbi

The fall season in Montreal is such a magical time and combining this magic with a surprise proposal is just the epitome of romantic proposals in my book. Every fall in Montreal, the botanical gardens organize the Chinese Lantern Festival during the month of October where the Chinese gardens are decorated with gigantic lanterns to celebrate the harvest season and mid-autumn festival.

Avi lives in Vancouver and his girlfriend Salbi lives in Toronto. He chose their romantic getaway in Montreal to propose to her. The botanical gardens were the perfect place for the proposal as he used the pretext of going to see the Chinese lanterns to come to the agreed upon spot.

Planning the surprise proposal, Avi called me few weeks before the visit to discuss the logistics and possible locations. We settled on the botanical gardens. On the day of the proposal, we were texting each other with updates; I arrived about half hour earlier and identified the ideal secluded place where he would pop the question, I sent him photos and explanation on how to get there and sat waiting.

The moment they entered the Chinese garden, Avi texted me that the moment is finally here, I started snapping photos of them walking through the lanterns and Salbi had absolutely no idea what is about to happen. When he arrived to the agreed upon spot, he got on one knee and asked her to marry him. The reaction on Salbi’s face was priceless and she was even more surprised when he pointed at me hiding into the bushes and taking photos.

Surprise Proposal in Montreal Botanical Gardens during the Chinese Lanterns Festival

Engagement Photoshoot At the Montreal Botanical Gardens

The botanical garden was a super romantic location for the surprise proposal and even better as offers a beautiful background for the engagement photos we did after. After the surprise proposal and the moments of excitement, I gave the couple 10-15 minutes to digest what just happened and then we started walking around the garden and the lanterns to capture few photos of the newly engaged couple to share with their friends and family after.

It is always an honour to be asked to document surprise proposals and I love when couples visiting the city make Montreal such a part of their journey together. If you are also planning to propose in Montreal, do not hesitate to reach out to me and we will make this moment even more memorable.