I got dressed for the rodeo before I got dressed for the shoot. That was the whole plan. If Meghan looked over and saw two people in jeans standing near the fence, she would look right past us, which is exactly what happened.
Wade found me in August. He grew up in Woodstown, he lives in York now, and he wanted to propose at Cowtown Rodeo. He had been to it a couple of times as a kid and not once since. That was the only thing he knew for sure.
Two Things Went Sideways Before We Started
First, the tickets sold out. Wade called a couple of days ahead to get them and there was nothing left. Second, and this is the bigger one, Cowtown does not allow photography inside the rodeo. That is their rule, it is their place, and I am not going to argue with it or work around it.
So the plan we had spent three weeks building had to change on the day. I got there early anyway, because I always get there early, and I walked the property looking for what was left.
The Spot Was at the Far End
Old tree, cattle in the field behind it, nobody near it. It was better than anything I had drawn up in advance, and I would not have found it from a map.
There was a plastic hanger lying on the ground. I broke it into pieces and laid them out as arrows, pointing at the mark and pointing the direction I wanted Meghan facing. Then I photographed it and sent it to Wade so he knew exactly where to walk her.
That is the part of this job nobody books me for and everybody needs. When you are about to ask the biggest question of your life, you should not also be deciding where to stand.
She Never Saw Us
My second shooter and I were already in position and Meghan had no idea either of us existed. Wade walked her down, hit the mark, and went down on one knee.
Once they were engaged I walked over to a few of the cowboys who were getting ready to compete and asked if they would jump in a photograph with Wade and Meghan. They said yes, and then they asked if we wanted beers. Wade said sure. They handed him two, we cracked them open, and it turned into the closest thing to a champagne pop I have ever shot at a rodeo.
He had a ring box shaped like a cowboy hat. He told me about it on our planning call and asked if it was too cheesy. It is not too cheesy. I asked him not to put it away afterward so I could photograph it properly, and he did not.
Then We Shot the Whole Place
Out by the signs at the front. Through the farmers market. Back along the fence line. We covered a lot of ground and they were laughing through most of it.
Wade had his cowboy hat on and a pair of chukkas, the ones with the elastic panel on the side that pull on without laces. Neither of them wore cowboy boots. Neither of them looked like they were in costume either, which is harder to pull off at a rodeo than you would think.
We did not get much of a sunset. There was a storm front coming and the light went flat early. It did not matter. The cattle were still out, the place still looked like itself, and you are not going to mistake these photographs for anybody else’s engagement session.
If You Want to Propose Somewhere Like This
Call the venue yourself, early, and ask what is allowed. Wade did, and the answer he got sent us outside the arena. That is a better outcome than finding out at six o’clock with a ring in your pocket.
Pick an odd place. Every proposal I photograph at the beach is beautiful and there are a thousand of them. There is one rodeo proposal.
And if family is meeting you afterward, they have to hide and they have to stay put until it is over. Showing up early kills the surprise, and it also puts them in the background of every photograph of the moment itself. Once your partner says yes, bring everybody in.
More South Jersey and shore proposals: Thomas and Jenna at Convention Hall, and Max and Alina on the jetty.
Ready to Start Planning?
Send me the date and roughly where you are thinking and I will help you pick the spot, get the timing right, and work out where everyone else needs to be. Fill out my proposal inquiry form here and let’s get started.