Proposal Guide and Tips for 2025-2026 Asheville | Greenville, SC | WNC | East Tennessee
Tips For Proposing To Your Partner in Asheville, Greenville, SC, WNC & East Tennessee in 2025-2026
The time is now. Are you ready to propose to your partner and take your relationship up a notch? I have witnessed and photographed and even planned a ton of proposals over the years. I have come up with an updated list for 2025- 2026 of things to think about to help you start off this journey in couplehood on the right foot.
1. Research the location you want to propose at. Find out the hours if it has hours. For instance, the Biltmore house has certain hours that the gate is open or when the gardens are open and it seems like those hours change occasionally. Sometimes I am asked to do a proposal there when I know they are likely not open. Since the hours do change, it is worth calling them to find out for sure. For Pretty Place they put out a schedule about 2 weeks in advance to let people know when it is open to the public because people do book it out for weddings. We can book in advance but have a backup location or backup date in case there is a wedding that day. I have also run into this at wineries/ vineyards. It doesn't hurt to check to make sure there won't be another event at your location that day. The Grove Park Inn only allows professsional photography for registered guests of the inn and in addition to that you need to notify them weeks or longer in advance and get approval. Also, so much had re-opened since the hurricane, but some places still have not. I was just asked about doing something at Craggy Gardens recently and it has not yet reopened since Helene. I also want to add that Western NC is open for business! We did go through a lot because of Hurricane Helene, and we have pressed on and gotten through the worst of it. You would never know in most places that such a disaster has taken place. We are open!!
2. Do you hire a photographer?
I have said this before but I recommend knowing your partner well enough to know if a grand surprise being photographed is something they would actually like. I personally am one of those people who do not like huge surprises. One time my boyfriend threw me a surprise birthday party and it shocked me in a not good way and I didn't feel right until the next day. I would be someone to not surprise with a big gesture and photographer. Someone like that would do better with a small, private romantic moment for the actual proposal. Book a photographer for an engagement session after the fact, like later in the day or the next day so they can be ready for it and be at their best. It will be a sweet gift and a more gentle type of surprise for this kind of personality.
Alternately, photographing a surprise proposal is super awesome for some other personalities! It is really cool to be able to document all of the emotion of that special moment and it is super romantic. Family and close friends love these photos, especially if they can't be there in person. If your person can take a bit of shock, I say go for it! You will never experience that moment again.
3. Do you want to book other vendors to help make the moment extra special? How about walking into the forest with the sound of a cello playing? It is awesome! It will soothe your nerves as well as your partner's nerves. It is incredibly romantic. I highly recommend Madeleines Musicians for this. They travel all over the place and can work with you getting a seasoned musician to play almost any kind of instrument you need. What about having a local florist set up a bunch of beautiful flowers at your special place ahead of time? I would say Sugar Magnolia Flower Company could do something really cool for you if you are doing this in the Asheville or Weaverville area. You could hire one of the really cool local picnic companies in the area to set the scene for you too. There are a lot of great venors out there ready to help you.
4. You be the one to bring something special. Some people like to bring something to make the moment extra romantic. It could be a small bouquet of flowers, a bottle of nice champagne, a song or poem, or a sentimental article of clothing. It could even be a bigger surprise like surprising with them with their best friend or their family members who they haven't seen in a long time.
5. Include your pets! Believe me, they will be really supportive and happy for you and would love to be a part of your moment if it is feasible.
6. Be on time and communicate with your photographer. If you have something making you late, definitely communicate that to the photographer or other vendors as soon as possible. If you have hired a photographer, try to be on time so that things can go smoothly and as close to according to plan as possible. Also, being on time will remove added stress for you on a day where you will already have a lot on your mind. If your partner is the kind of person who takes forever to get ready, maybe tell them you need to be at the place earlier than you need to.
7. Let your friends and family help you. If your person is the kind who would go get their nails done, have their friend suggest going with them to do it soon before your planned proposal. Do you need some kind of distraction? A family member may be who to ask for help here. Have family and friends help all you want, but if you are wanting to keep this a surprise, know who you are working with and make sure they won't ruin it.
8. Do you need video or a content creator? Do you want expedited photography? How do you want to spread the news of your proposal? How do you want this moment to be remembered? These are add on services also offered by Jaime Hadnagy Photography. I have great videographers on hand loving what they do and wanting to make you a beautiful highlight proposal movie. I have content creators ready to make a bunch of posts and reels with captions for you to share all over social media to spread the proposal news. If you want to keep it more simple and just stick to photography, you can add on a sneak peek and have 3-5 photos of your proposal expedited to be delivered within 24 hours.
9. Be prepared! If you are giving your partner a ring or anything else as a gift that day, first of all bring it along. If you are ordering it, definitely make sure you will have it in time for your planned proposal. Another note on rings, I don't know why, but they always come in these giant jewelry boxes. If you will be hiding this in your pocket all day, you may consider getting a slim box for it so it can be more comfortably and easily hidden until you are ready to pop the question.
10. Think about the time of day you want to do this. Is your person a night owl? Then do not plan a sunrise proposal! Yes, sunrise can be awesome for photos but your partner will be sleepy or even grumpy and will not enjoy the moment. If they are a morning person, then go for it, if not, maybe consider sunset or some other time instead. Think about the time that would be appropriate for the other activities you have planned. Are you proposing at The Biltmore? Then maybe plan to propose an hour before your tour or right after it. Are you meeting friends at a certain time in Downtown? Consider that when planning.
11. Propose in a place where your partner would actually like to be. Please, please, please, if your girlfriend is not outdoorsy, please to not take her on a hike up a mountain for your proposal. She will end up with blisters on her feet because she wore heels! She might say yes, but she also might slap you across the face. Don't do it! Let's get this off to a better start. Maybe for a non-outdoorsy person, take them to the rooftop of your hotel, a winery/ brewery, or to The Biltmore Estate instead, maybe the Arboretum. Hey, if your partner is outdoorsy, please do take them on that hike. WNC, East Tenn, and the Greenville SC area has a lot of gorgeous nature places. Hike up a mountain, hike to a waterfall. If that's what they like, do it!
Even keeping it simple and proposing in the middle of Downtown while walking around is a wonderful option for pretty much anyone. No one will throw their high heel shoe at you afterwards either.
12. Take it slow and take in the moment and breathe. I try to tell all of my proposal clients this but it's really impotant. This is a once in a lifetime moment. Stop for a moment and take it all in. Feel where you are. Feel your own heart beating. Look at your partner and feel them. Stop and slow this all down and feel it all. Also take it slow for photography purposes too if you have hired a photographer. It is not ideal for the photographer if you pop the question and then pop back up immediately. Only one pop (the question!). Taking it slow and mindfully and also breathing can also calm the nerves as well.
13. Enjoy yourself! Planning a special surprise like this can feel nervewracking, but remember it is supposed to be a fun and happy time. Keep self care in mind during the process.
Happy Planning!!!
