If you’re planning a surprise fjord proposal in such an epic place as Aurland in Western Norway, it is always a good idea to get it captured! When Sujith contacted me a few months before their trip to Norway, he was torn between three different places. All three locations are equally epic, but each one of them has their pros and cons. Together we narrowed it down to Aurland and had a real blast on the day of their engagement!
How to pick a location for your surprise proposal in Norway
First, a more private spot would work best, since you’ll be able to have a speech for your better half without interruptions from other tourists. Second, you want this place to be easy enough to access in the given season. Sure, you can plan a long and epic hike. But make sure you’re able to find and follow the trail in the month you’re there. Some places (for example high mountains) have tons of snow from November until summer. Therefore you should make a thorough research about each location you consider.
Last, but not least: if you want to hire a photographer to capture this special moment for you, make a solid plan on how can photographer join you without ruining the surprise factor. I’m not going to reveal all my secrets, but let’s just say that our plan worked out just fine!
An experienced photographer should be able to help you with all of the above. Give advice and scout the locations (and have backup locations) as well as make sure the place won’t be overcrowded. And most impotantly, make it look as natural as possible, so that your partner won’t suspect anything beforehand.
How to prepare for your proposal in Norway
Most important: be cool and behave normal in the weeks before the proposal happens. You must be super nervous and excited about all the planning! But if you want it to be a surprise, behave as you always do. If your partner is “the planner” in the relationship, it may look weird if you suddenly start planning and booking all the stuff yourself. In this case, do less planning yourself and focus on the proposal only! Plan together the most important parts of your trip or let her/him deal with it. And then try to fit in your proposal in the schedule behind the scenes.
In case with Sujith, we decided to make it simple: he invited Sitara to the restaurant. He said that on their way there they would stop at one cool spot and take some selfies there. Because of the restaurant plan, they dressed up in nice (and photogenic) outfits and were good to go. Everything went according to the plan, the magic happened, he went down on his knee, and she said YES! They kissed and laughed and looked so happy! This beautiful surprise proposal overlooking Aurland fjord in Western Norway turned out to be a great success!
Combine your proposal with an adventure couple session by the fjords
Aurland is a small picturesque village in Western Norway laying between gorgeous fjords Aurlandfjord and Nærøyfjord, high mountains and waterfalls. If you’re looking for a romantic place for your surprise fjord proposal in Norway, Aurland is definitely one of the best places for that! The biggest city close to Aurland is Bergen, it’s a 2,5-3 hours drive from there. You can also take a train to Flåm in Aurland. For example, travel from Bergen train station to Myrdal, and then take the famous Flåmsbana to Flåm. Flåmsbana train is considered to be one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, and is a unique experience itself.
When your engagement is official and you’re ready to celebrate, you can either go capture some photos in the beautiful surroundings or even include some fun activity in your adventure photo session. What activity to do would depend on the location of your proposal. For example, in Aurland area you can take a zipline in Flåm, go on fjord cruise on the Nærøyfjord or go to the town nearby and try out indoor skydiving at Vossvind. Neither of these sound tempting? Just go and celebrate your engagement in a restaurant or in a bar! It’ll be fun anyway!
Adventure engagement photo session in Aurland, Norway
In the back of the car Sujith hid sneakers and a bottle of sparkling wine to celebrate their engagement. Together we went on exploring the surroundings and some awesome locations around Aurland. We drove up the scenic road Aurlandsveien, one of the National tourist routes in Norway. We had a quick stop at Stegastein viewpoint and areas nearby and continued further up in the mountains where we suddenly ended up in a beautiful winter wonderland.
Coming from heat of Texas, Sujith and Sitara were surprised to see the snowy landscapes in the end of May in Western Norway. But because of that their experience (and photos!) got even more special. After some wandering in the mountains we drove down again and they popped up a bottle of sparkling wine while watching the sunset above the mesmerizing Aurlandsfjord.
If you’re planning to propose to your better half somewhere in Norway and want to capture this beautiful moment, I highly recommend you to hire a professional photographer! This will make your planning process so much easier and you’ll have some tangible memories for a lifetime!
Here you can see some other engagement, pre-wedding and post-wedding photo sessions.