Zach and Catherine were coming from California, a few days of travelling with friends, and somewhere in the middle of that itinerary he wanted the big question asked and answered. Sintra he had settled long before anything else, and then Monserrate. What he did not have was the exact spot: somewhere with a view, quiet enough to be theirs, and worth standing in for the rest of their lives.
I gave him a shortlist. He picked the beautiful arcaded terrace at the front of the palace.
Why would a couple from California propose in Portugal?
Because it puts the question somewhere neither of you will ever visit casually again. Catherine and Zach were here for a few days with friends, not for a proposal, which is exactly what made it work. She had no reason to expect anything.
It is not the first time I have photographed that plan. Cindy and Ryan flew in from California too, and Ryan asked on the same terrace, on a quiet overcast morning.
Palácio de Monserrate sits in Sintra, about forty minutes west of Lisbon, in hills covered so thickly in forest that the palaces there look half invented. Monserrate is one of the quietest of them. That matters far more than grandeur when what you actually need is two minutes alone.
How do you plan a surprise proposal in Portugal from another country?
You decide three things and let go of the rest: the location, the time of day, and the signal. Zach and I settled all three by message before he landed, and he arrived in Monserrate carrying nothing but the ring.
The location came first, and Zach had already done half of it himself. He knew he wanted Monserrate. What he needed was the corner of it, so I sent him three, each one a different part of the estate, each with a different amount of privacy and a different kind of photograph behind it. He read them and chose the terrace.
That is roughly the conversation I have with everyone, only usually it starts one step earlier, at which place in Sintra. The long version of it is written out in my guide to the most romantic places to propose in Sintra.
Then the practical layer. Monserrate needs an entry ticket, and I bought them in advance so there was no queue, and no moment where the surprise depended on a turnstile working.
I was inside the gardens well before they arrived, walking the terrace, watching where the light was falling that morning. By the time Catherine came up the path I had been in position for a while.
Where exactly did Zach ask the question?
On the arcaded terrace at the front of Palácio de Monserrate, under the carved stone arches, with the valley falling away behind them. It is the most photographable spot on the estate and one of the few places anywhere in Sintra where the architecture and the landscape sit in the same frame without you having to choose between them.
The terrace runs along the front of the palace. Stone columns, arches cut into something close to lace, a low balustrade with urns of red begonias set along it. Below and beyond, nothing but green.
Zach went down on one knee near the balustrade. Catherine had her back to the valley and did not see me at all.
I should be honest about why that spot works, because it is not only the view. The arches give me something to stand behind, and there is real distance between the terrace and the paths around it, so I photographed the whole thing from far enough away that neither of them registered a stranger with a camera. A location that is beautiful and offers nowhere to hide is a worse proposal location than a plainer one that does. I have written more about Monserrate specifically here.
How does a proposal photographer stay invisible until the moment?
By arriving first and agreeing on a signal in advance. Zach and I had one arranged. He gave it, I was already looking through the camera, and the whole thing was photographed from the first second to the last without Catherine knowing anyone was there.
I also dress normally, to stay indistinguishable from a tourist.
I photographed all of it. Him kneeling, her hands, the ring coming out of the box, the moment her face changed.
Then I gave them a minute, and walked over and introduced myself.
That introduction is my favourite part of a proposal morning, and it is the part nobody plans for. There is a particular expression people make when they realise the last two minutes exist as photographs. Catherine made it.
What happens in the hour after she says yes?
An engagement session, if you want one, and I would take it every time. Catherine and Zach walked the gardens with me for the next hour, and those photographs are different in kind from the proposal itself. The proposal is a document. What follows is the two of them, engaged, in the first hour of being engaged.
They are also the easiest photographs I ever make. Nobody needs to be told what to do with their hands when they have just got engaged.
They took the stone staircase down toward the lake, where the palms and the tree ferns close over the path.
Then across to the ruined chapel, which is one of my favourite corners of the whole estate, all mossy stone and an arched window with the garden coming through it. Zach picked her up there.
The last of it happened out on the great lawn, where the trees give way and the hillside opens up behind you. Over the palace the light had been soft and white all morning, which is the most flattering light there is for a portrait. By the time they reached the lawn the sky had cleared, and it was suddenly blue and bright and an entirely different photograph.
Catherine and Zach are coming back to Portugal to get married
They are getting married here next year, and the conversation never really stopped after the proposal. Which venues photograph the way they imagine, and which ones are not worth the drive from Lisbon. I have been recommending venues to them since that morning at Monserrate.
That is one of the quieter advantages of having your proposal photographed by someone who actually works in Portugal. I already know the venues. I know what they look like in July and what they look like in November. And by the time their wedding day arrives, I will have known the two of them for well over a year, which changes what the photographs of that day can be.
They walked out onto that lawn engaged, in a country neither of them lives in, on a morning that had started as an ordinary day of sightseeing. Next year they come back for the rest of it.
If you are planning a proposal in Portugal, I would love to be there, invisibly, for the moment you ask. I am based in Cascais, and I have been photographing weddings since 2014, in Portugal, England and the United States.
See how the proposal sessions work
Frequently asked questions about proposing in Portugal
How far in advance should I book a proposal photographer in Portugal?
For peak season, May through October, one to two months ahead is a reasonable lead time, because those are the months when everyone else is planning something too. For off season proposals, a few weeks is usually enough. If your dates are already fixed by a trip you have booked, write to me as soon as the flights are.
Do I need tickets to propose at a palace in Sintra?
Yes, for most of them, and the tickets are the one thing not to leave until the morning itself. Monserrate requires an entry ticket, which can be booked online in advance. I buy them ahead of time for the couples I work with, so that nobody is standing in a queue with a ring in their pocket.
How will the photographer know when to start?
You agree a signal beforehand. It can be as small as adjusting a sleeve, or stopping at one particular spot. I am in position and looking through the camera well before you arrive, so the signal confirms rather than starts anything. Your partner never sees a thing change.
Will we do an engagement session straight after the proposal?
Yes, all couples do. I introduce myself once the two of you have had a moment alone, and then we walk. An hour is usually right but you can make it in 30 mins. You are already dressed, already in the place, and in a flow state that no session booked three months later can reproduce.
What should we wear for a proposal in Portugal?
Wear what you would actually wear on a day of travelling, only slightly better. Soft neutrals, cream and earth tones tend to feel most timeless against the colours of Sintra. Big logos and very bright colours date quickly in images.
We are not Portuguese and we do not live there. Does that make this harder?
No. Everything for Catherine and Zach was arranged by whatsapp, in English, weeks before they arrived. The couples I photograph proposing usually meet me in person for the first time about a minute after the question has been asked.
When will we see the photographs?
Proposal images are delivered as a full online gallery, in 2-3 days after the proposal.
Related reading:
The Most Romantic Places to Propose in Sintra
Monserrate Palace Photoshoot, the best spot to propose in Sintra
