Surprise Proposal Photography at Aber Falls, Snowdonia

I’ve wanted to photograph a surprise proposal at Aber Falls for a long time now. So, when Bradley asked me to recommend a location in North Wales for him to propose to his partner – Aber Falls was top of the list! But before I get into Bradley & Eleanor’s proposal story, I’d like to share why Aber Falls is such a great proposal location.

Aber Falls Is The Perfect Waterfall Proposal Location

Aber Falls is one of the most impressive waterfalls in Eryri (Snowdonia). It’s easily accessible from both of the car parks and the path is suitable for all fitness levels. Also, it’s a simple straightforward route, so there’s little chance of taking a wrong turn.

On the way, you first spot Rhaeadr Bach through the trees, and then a little later you see Aber Falls in front of you. Once there the river plummets an impressive 37m down into a rocky plunge pool before continuing down towards the village of Abergwyngregyn. It’s easy to explore around the bottom of the waterfall, or cross the river via the bridge to get an elevated view. There are plenty of spots for a pic-nic if the weather’s on your side. If not, then you could visit Aber Falls Distillery for a bite to eat and a celebratory drink too!

If you’re looking for a proposal location that boasts spectacular scenery but is also easy to access then you can’t go wrong with Aber Falls

Bradley & Eleanor’s Proposal at Aber Falls

Bradley got in touch a few weeks ago, he explained that he planned to ask Eleanor to marry him while they were on a weekend away in North Wales. So we set about planning! This is their proposal story…

1. How did you two first meet?
   We met at the tender age of 17 at Leeds Festival in 2012 and started going out the following February for a couple of months before we left for university. It wasn’t until November 2017 that I drunkenly text Eleanor and the rest is history…

1. How did you know Eleanor was the one?
   The fact we re-found each other at a completely different point in our lives says a lot

1. Had Eleanor dropped hints that they’d like to marry you?
   I wouldn’t say hints, I would say I was the recipient of 30 different photos of rings and a lot of Instagram tags – but no we had a lot of mutual conversations about the future, which entailed a proposal etc.

1. How did you come up with the idea for your proposal?
   Eleanor would say I got lucky with my organisation. I had obviously known for some time it was going to happen, it was biting the bullet that took the longest part. It was actually very quickly planned, I’d asked to take Eleanor away for her birthday which was a couple of days prior to the engagement, but said that everything would be a secret for her.
   
   The inspiration for the location being North Wales is that it is a special place for Els, and I had a few different ideas of how I was going to do it. I bought the ring a month prior to popping the question, and organised it all right up to the day before! 
   
   The idea of a photographer (which has been the best decision) came completely out of nowhere. Not only did Chris capture some of the best photos, but he also advised on location and was so patient.

1. Did you tell anyone else about your plans or ask anyone for help?
   No-one. I had a bit of help on location from Chris, however, he was completely open to where the location was going to be.  I had a picture in my head of how I wanted it to be. I did however take my mum to go ring shopping, so some guidance there, although more chat was about what jewellery my mum was wearing than what I was buying! 

1. What advice would you give to someone planning their proposal right now?
   It’s the most special thing to have the moment captured and something you can hopefully look back on forever with happy memories.  Outthinking the room gets you nowhere, simple is perfect.  Checking the weather on a religious basis the week of your engagement will only get in your own head haha!

1. Ok, so briefly, what was the plan?
   I had booked the weekend away, with an early morning start on the Saturday to travel over to North Wales. We planned to arrive for our walk at 10.30 and planned for Chris to be waiting at the beginning of the walk. The plan was a nice leisurely stroll up to the waterfall. There are 2 beautiful spots for the question to be popped and I literally decided as I was walking up, with my fingers crossed no one was in the way.

1. Did you know what you were going to say?
   Absolutely not!

1. Did it go to plan?
   Could not have been any more perfect. It was everything I imagined and more. The waterfall is the most perfect thing, and the whole moment was just amazing. The only slight improvisation was that we nearly arrived well too early, so I had to drive slowly and do a few pit-stops.

1. How did you feel in the build up to your proposal? And how to did you feel afterwards?
   I was actually so calm, I think it might be because I compartmentalised everything so it wasn’t a shock to me when it was happening. Up until I couldn’t get the ring box out of my jacket only for Eleanor to keep asking what I was doing haha!

1. How did you celebrate afterwards?
   So after finishing the walk we went to the local distillery to have some lunch, alongside buying some commemorative Gin and Whiskey. We then had dinner booked for the evening in Menai Bridge.

1. How did you go about choosing the ring?
   So I had planned on going ‘suit’ shopping with my mum in Manchester. All week I had my mum sending me all kinds of ideas for a suit for a wedding I was going to. After having food and a drink with some friends, I dropped the big ‘we aren’t going suit shopping’ to which my mum was furious as it was all she’d been looking at all week.
   
   She soon cheered up when I told her we were ring shopping for Eleanor. She couldn’t believe it bless her! 
   
   Picking the ring itself. We went to a few with no real luck, and then I came across a ring at Diamond Heaven which caught my eye more than anything I had seen. It wasn’t the shape Eleanor had gone on about, but there was something about it that led me to get it. Turns out it was perfect.

1. How long did you have the ring before you proposed?
   I’d say I had the ring for about a month. I hid it in the wardrobe in our bedroom behind one of my boxes that I never go in.  Literally one week later we are trying to find something and she is adamant that it was in this box which I couldn’t even think about looking in as it would have given the game away

1. How many people have asked you if you’ve set a date yet?
   pfft. Too Many!

Planning on Popping The Question?

If you’re planning on asking your partner to marry you, I hope this has been of some help to you. But, please feel free to drop me a message if you’d like to talk through any ideas or want some general advice. Also, check out this link if you’d like to see more Secret Proposal Photography.