Anthony flew into Seattle in July with a ring and one job: get her onto the Wilcox Footbridge at half past eleven without explaining why.
The Washington Park Arboretum is one of the easier places in Seattle to propose and one of the harder ones to photograph badly. Trails run off Lake Washington Boulevard in every direction, and in the middle of it there is a stone footbridge lined with green lampposts that frames a couple without any help from a photographer.
Evaro Studios shot this proposal on a Thursday morning in early July. Here is how the morning ran, and what we would tell you if you are planning the same thing.
Why the Wilcox Footbridge works for a proposal
The plan was simple and it is the one we would run again. Meet at Arboretum parking lot N16 at eleven. Walk in like it is an ordinary morning. Be on the bridge by half past.
The bridge earns its place three times over. It is narrow, so nobody wanders into the frame. It runs long and straight, so a photographer can stand well back and go unnoticed until it is over. And the trees close in overhead, which keeps the light soft at eleven in the morning, normally the worst hour of the day to be outside with a camera.
Getting there and parking
The footbridge carries the path over Lake Washington Boulevard, so the stone arch you drive under is the underside of the spot. Lot N16 is the closest place to leave a car, and lots 14, 15 and 17 sit nearby if it is full. Walk in from the lot and you are at the bridge in a couple of minutes.
The rest is timing, and timing is the part we handle.
After the yes
We gave them the bridge to themselves for a few minutes, then started walking.
The Arboretum is built for the hour after a proposal. Ten minutes from the bridge in any direction there is fern, old trees, a mossy stone wall, a bench under the canopy, and in July a stand of fireweed in full pink. No two backgrounds in this gallery look alike, and nobody had to get back in a car to reach any of them.
That hour matters more than people expect. These are the first photographs of two people who are engaged, and they are usually the loosest and happiest frames of the whole morning. If you are still choosing a spot, we have written up proposals at Kerry Park and Gas Works Park too, and none of the three looks anything like the others.
What a proposal session at the Arboretum includes
Every Evaro proposal package carries the same core: a champagne toast setup, exactly 40 hand-edited images, one vertical reel, sneak peeks in three to five days, planning help before the day, portraits afterwards, and print rights.
Seattle proposal packages start at $795 for The Simple Proposal, which is one hour on site and the right fit when you already have the plan. Couples who want the scene built for them usually land on The Evaro Signature Proposal at $2,295, two hours on site and styled. The full ladder is on the proposal pricing page.
While you are there
The Arboretum rewards staying a while, and so does the neighbourhood around it. A few places worth the detour:
Washington Park Arboretum is free, open every day, and managed by UW Botanic Gardens. Their getting here page has the parking map.
Seattle Japanese Garden sits at the south end off Lake Washington Boulevard. Ticketed, quiet, and a completely different look from the rest of the park.
Arboretum Foundation runs the plant sales and the volunteer programme, and their site is the best guide to what is actually in bloom.
Volunteer Park Conservatory is a ten minute drive north and a good wet-weather backup.
Cafe Lago on 24th Ave E is the closest proper meal to the bridge. Book ahead.
Questions couples ask
Where exactly is the Wilcox Footbridge?
It carries the walking path over Lake Washington Boulevard E inside the Arboretum, so the stone arch you drive under is the underside of it. Park in lot N16 and you are two minutes away.
What time of day is best for a proposal at the Arboretum?
This one ran at half past eleven in the morning and the canopy did the work. The Arboretum is one of the few places in Seattle that photographs well at midday, because almost all of it is shaded. Most locations would punish you for that hour.
How do you stay hidden during a surprise proposal?
We agree the exact spot and the exact minute in advance, then shoot from a distance with a long lens. On the footbridge that is easy: it runs long and straight, so there is plenty of room to stand well back and stay out of it.
Should we photograph the walk and the portraits afterwards too?
Yes, and we will push for it. The frames right after a yes are usually the best ones in the gallery, and the Arboretum has a dozen good backgrounds within a ten minute walk of the bridge.
Planning a proposal at the Washington Park Arboretum? Tell us the date and the spot and we will tell you what the light will be doing. Check your date.
