London Butterfly Garden LGBTQ+ Proposal

ProposalsLGBTQ+

3 Jul

London Surprise Proposal

Proposals, especially surprise proposals in beautiful locations across Kent and London, have a special place in my heart. There is so much anticipation and the photos oh so worth it! I’m excited to share this latest LGBTQ+ proposal at the London Butterfly Gardens!

N reached out a few months before their trip to London from the US to plan a surprise proposal to their girlfriend C. Though C had already proposed a few months earlier, they wanted to reciprocate and have a magical experience whilst travelling. Butterflies held a special meaning for C, so the location was set from the start - the London Butterfly Gardens in Bexleyheath, just on the outskirts of London.

They found me on Instagram after my last post about an LGBTQ+ proposal. And as a Kent & London proposal photographer, I was delighted to bring my expertise with particularly queer proposals to the table.

Butterfly Gardens in London

Normally I would have to arrive and wait well in advance to allow my cameras to acclimatise to the hot and humid environment of a butterfly garden. But we just entered the first heatwave of the year and I only needed 5-10 minutes. Which was great as N & C already had quite the ordeal traveling in the heat and N secretly let me know that starting earlier was also good for them!

Wide angle shot of aisle in the London butterfly garden greenhouse full of green foliage, a queer couple walking through and smiling. One person is wearing a brown midi polka dot dress, the other a white t-shirt and black trousers.

I of course pretended to be taking photos of butterflies when they arrived. Oh wait - I did actually take lots of butterfly photos, because just look how cool they are!

Then N strategically pick a spot next to the AC and the moment came. Not only did N give a beautiful ring, but also they made a cute bracelet saying “Marry Me Mae”, which is one of the cutest things I’ve seen - and I’ve seen many proposals. The ones that stand out are always ones that are super personal, reference inside jokes and shared experiences!

We mooched around the garden some more and checked out all the different butterflies, including ones that were still in their coccoons. By then the humidity got a bit much and we went across to the Hall’s Place gardens and had a little break at the cafe.

Summer Engagements and Weddings

The reality of planning things and then the weather having a mind of its own is that often people tend to push through in order to stick to the vision. But I see these things from a wellbeing-first perspective. No pictures are worth a heatstroke, so although my time has a lot of value, I don’t believe in forcing or endangering yourself due to unforeseen or semi-unforseen circumstances.

So if this happens - 30+ degrees Celsius - we’re gonna take breaks and go a bit overtime. We’re gonna have water breaks. We’re gonna go find shade or indoor spaces with AC.

That’s exactly what we did here. Hall’s Place, where the London Butterfly Gardens are, has vast gardens and a cafe, which did have AC! Me, N & C had some cold drinks and even got a tiny cold bottle of prosecco. Now I usually bring a bottle of non-alcoholic or alcoholic fizz for some champagne spray photos, but due to the heat I made the decision to not risk the bottle overheating. Thank to the cafe, we still got to do that and get covered in champagne! Luckily they also had public toilets so we could splash some water in our faces and get a few more photos from the gardens.

Black and White photo of queer couple laughing and spraying champagne from a bottle at Hall's Place, London.

And boy did we get some gorgeous shots! Every lovers shoot is unique in that everyone expresses their feelings towards one another differently, and when I give it a moment they really relax and settle into their natural interactions. That’s what makes the photos so special and so THEM.

What Makes The Perfect London Engagement Session

The main thing that I recommend figuring out first and foremost for proposals is the location. It’s the meaning, it’s the visual, it’s the experience. And I can’t stress enough the significance of all three components. In this case butterflies meant a lot to C, the proposee, so N wanted the theme to be incorporated starting from the very spot they proposed at. And of course the greenery and light and colours lent to a beautiful moment from a photographer’s perspective. And there’s nothing quite like your partner connecting the dots and knowing just how much you care about them and their interests.

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Whatsapp exchange with clients review of their proposal photography experience with Nastia Photography, text below — Client Feedback

What made this session so memorable was the couple’s genuine connection. There was so much laughter, so much love, and an undeniable sense of joy.
And I was so giddy when I received their feedback!
“there’s so much JOY that’s radiating through these photos! Nastia, thank you for capturing such a special day. You are one of a kind to have shared it with!! Thank you for your talents and for just being a wonderful human!! I’m over the moon!”

Queer Joy In Every Moment of This London Engagement

Pride month might be over, but over at Nastia Photography Pride is every single day. Queer joy, queer existence is revolutionary, and what better way to keep on resisting than by sharing and showing more of queer love stories?