Hartwell House Engagement Portraits

Surprise Proposal

I’m not often asked to photograph engagement portraits, so I was thrilled to hear from Alan who was planning a UK holiday at Hartwell House with his girlfriend.

Mirella, the events manager at the hotel, kindly recommended me to Alan.

They’d flown over from Miami the day before, yet Ana had no idea whatsoever that Alan would be proposing to her during their trip! And judging by the exciting week he had planned, Alan is a true romantic at heart!

We planned carefully to ensure I was hidden out of view. It was important that I knew exactly where and when Alan would be proposing to Ana! Even down to the angle so they didn’t have their backs to me.

Initially Alan emailed his ideas to me. Then on the morning at the pre-agreed time Alan crept out of their room to discuss the finer details.

The sun shone, and thousands of wonderful spring daffodils bloomed in every direction! By now I was really looking forward to this wonderful engagement portrait photo-shoot!

The Magic Moment!

We agreed that I’d hide in the shaded hedgerow along the cobbled pathway. I’m pleased to report that Ana was totally oblivious of my presence!

Luckily, she said yes, and I loved capturing her joyous facial reactions! Picture a mix of non-stop tears and total elation of Ana’s face as Alan went down on one knee.

After giving them ten minutes together to let everything sink in, I then stayed for a couple of hours to capture lots of gorgeous engagement portraits of this lovely couple. I took pictures both indoors and outside at this magical hotel.

I really enjoyed walking and chatting with Ana and Alan as we made our way around the Hartwell House gardens visiting the various photo locations. They were certainly blown by this historic hotel and its gardens. They said they just wished there were locations like this in Florida!

The stunning gardens offered up so many wow backdrops, whilst the fabulous morning light elevated my pictures to another level.

In many of these images I’m using reflectors to illuminate their faces with lovely soft lighting. Sunlight can be a little harsh and unflattering at times, but harnessing the light in this way can transform the end results!

Hartwell House – a Romantic Venue for Engagement and for Weddings

Hartwell House is a stunning country house hotel in Buckinghamshire, it boasts a rich and colourful history spanning nearly a thousand years. Its notable residents include an illegitimate son of William the Conqueror, King John, and most famously the exiled King of France, Louis XVIII, who held court there from 1809 to 1814.

If you’d like to have your proposal captured on camera, I’d love to hear from you! Do check out my portrait gallery to see lots more of my engagement portraits.