It was September when Boon first reached out to begin planning his proposal with me. While we were still in the throes of late summer and a long way from the icy temperatures of his visit in December, this was great as it gave us plenty of time to hash out some ideas and plan the shoot.
He knew that they wanted to go out to the ski fields and experience snow on this trip, and had already done some preliminary searching with Serena to look at their options together. This was perfect as it gave me a place to start with researching and helping with the plans. All he knew was that he wanted it to be relatively private as he had a plan that we’ll look at below.
Eventually, we settled on Balwangsan as the location for his proposal and I scheduled a trip out there a few days in advance to see how things were looking and find a final location for Boon’s proposal. December is the beginning of the ski season in Korea, so even if there hasn’t been any snowfall, the resorts will already be spraying with their snow machines to ensure visitors are not disappointed. On the day I visited, the machines were blasting snow and it was quite a thing to see from the cable car. Thankfully, that wasn’t the only snow, however, as a storm the week before had covered the surrounding mountains, as well.
Boon had wanted a trail leading to a final location so he could tell the story of their relationship as they made their way along together. He had shared with me a collection of photos from their time together so far and asked for small frames to be hung on trees and placed along the path. This would give them plenty of time to reminisce and build their emotions before the proposal.
As they made their way along the path, I tailed them for a while and then Boon introduced me so I could become a part of the journey, as well. We made our way along and I stayed out of earshot while still capturing their emotions as they discussed the photos. We had some heartfelt moments and some fun moments, including a slip on Serena’s part that had them both in fits of laughter.
Eventually, we made it to their final spot. I had set up a heart of flower petals (fabric, since real ones wouldn’t last!) for them to stand in as Boon placed his knee on the ground. Just a few moments later, they were engaged.
Mindful of the fact that it was a casual -4 degrees on the mountaintop, we kept the photos high energy and barely stopped moving until we made it back to the cable car. Boon and Serena were a lot of fun to work with and brought a lot of their own personalities to the shoot. These photos are always the most memorable as they’re filled with genuine emotion.
And just like that, we were back in the warmth of the cable car and heading down to ground level again. I bid the couple farewell and called the taxi driver I’d met on my first trip out to ensure I could get back to the station in time for my train back to Seoul.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this wintry proposal and would love to hear from you if you’re hoping to plan something similar! For now, stay warm!