A Gazebo, a Sunset & Their Doxie | Jonathan & Nadia’s Surprise Proposal at Fairmount Park in Riverside
Jonathan wanted his surprise proposal to happen somewhere meaningful to Nadia: Riverside, California. With their doxie joining them and sunset on the wish list, we planned our first proposal at Fairmount Park for August 18, 2026. The plan was simple—a bouquet waiting near the gazebo as Jonathan’s secret marker, followed by sunset engagement photos around the water. But when we arrived, we discovered the gazebo area was supposed to close before proposal time. We quickly created a backup plan and hoped Plan A would survive. It did. Jonathan and Nadia walked toward the flowers, a few strangers were quietly waved out of the background, Jonathan got down on one knee, and Nadia said yes. Then we spent the next hour chasing the Riverside sunset with the newly engaged couple and their doxie.
A sweet post-proposal moment as the couple’s doxie celebrates with kisses in front of the Fairmount Park gazebo in Riverside.
Sometimes the perfect proposal location isn't somewhere you've been before.
Sometimes a client gives you a few important details, and it's our job to figure out the rest.
In early August, Jonathan reached out to Last Minute Photoshoot with a question:
Do you travel to Riverside, and are you available August 18, 2026?
Absolutely.
Jonathan was planning to propose to his girlfriend, Nadia, and his wish list was actually pretty simple.
He wanted the proposal to happen somewhere in Riverside.
He wanted their doxie to be part of it.
And if possible, he wanted to propose around sunset.
The reason Riverside mattered, though, was much more personal.
Sometimes the perfect proposal isn't about an elaborate setup. It's about finding a beautiful place and including the little details that make the moment completely yours. Jonathan wanted to propose to Nadia somewhere meaningful in Riverside, with their Doxie there to be part of the story. Together, we found the perfect setting at Fairmount Park and planned everything around the gazebo and sunset. From scouting the location and finding the right light to creating the timeline, exact GPS pin, and day-of plan, we'll help turn your idea into a surprise that feels effortless, personal, and completely you.
Plan Your Riverside Proposal
Finding a Proposal Location That Meant Something
We jumped on a call with Jonathan to learn more about what he had in mind.
Jonathan lives around Orange County and wasn't very familiar with Riverside, but Nadia was from the area.
He knew proposing somewhere connected to where she was from would mean a lot to her.
So now we just needed to find the right place.
Our initial idea was to use one of Riverside's orange groves.
It made sense.
Riverside has a deep connection to California's citrus history, and an orange grove would have given us something completely different from the beaches and coastal locations we photograph so often.
There was one problem.
The location we were considering closed around midday.
For a sunset proposal, that wasn't going to work.
So we kept looking.
That's when we pitched Jonathan another idea:
Fairmount Park in Riverside.
Planning Our First Surprise Proposal at Fairmount Park
We had never photographed a proposal at Fairmount Park before.
But that's never stopped us from helping someone plan one.
From the photos and information we could find beforehand, we started mapping out how we thought the proposal could work.
The idea was simple.
Jonathan and Nadia would walk toward the gazebo inside Fairmount Park.
We would position ourselves nearby and photograph the actual proposal in front of the gazebo.
After Nadia said yes, we'd use the rest of the session to walk toward the water and around the park, photographing their engagement as the sun dropped lower in the sky.
Gazebo.
Water.
Park scenery.
Sunset.
And, of course, their doxie.
Jonathan loved the idea.
Fairmount Park it was.
Turning the Idea Into a Plan
As August 18 got closer, we started finalizing everything.
We created the timeline.
We worked out where Jonathan needed to walk.
We planned where we would position ourselves.
And we jumped on one more call before proposal day to make sure there weren't any last-minute questions or changes.
By August 18, everything was ready.
At least we thought it was.
Because if there's one thing surprise proposals have taught us, it's that there's almost always something you don't discover until you're actually standing at the location.
One Small Problem: The Gazebo Had a Gate
On proposal day, we headed to Riverside early.
Since this was our first time photographing at Fairmount Park, we wanted enough time to actually walk the location ourselves rather than relying entirely on what we'd seen online.
We explored the park, looked at the light, checked different backgrounds and created a mental flow for where we wanted to take Jonathan and Nadia after the proposal.
Then we headed back toward the gazebo to wait.
That's when we noticed something we hadn't fully realized beforehand.
The gazebo area was gated.
And according to the posted hours, that section was supposed to close at 6:00 PM.
Our proposal was planned for around 6:30 PM.
Well...
That wasn't ideal. :)
For a moment, we were wondering whether someone was going to come over and lock the gates right before Jonathan arrived.
But this is exactly why we arrive early.
Instead of waiting around hoping for the best, we immediately started figuring out a backup plan.
If the gazebo closed, we already knew where we could redirect Jonathan.
Different location.
Different positioning.
Same proposal.
Luckily, we wouldn't need it.
The gazebo remained accessible.
Plan A was still alive.
The Flowers Were His Marker
The plan was for Jonathan and Nadia to arrive around 6:30 PM and walk toward the gazebo.
We had left a bouquet of flowers waiting there.
Those flowers weren't just part of the proposal.
They were Jonathan's marker.
Once he reached them, he would know:
This is the spot.
Then our phone lit up.
Jonathan had parked.
That was our cue.
We got into position and waited.
A few minutes later, we saw them.
Jonathan and Nadia began walking toward the gazebo with their little doxie joining them for the moment.
And from where we were standing, it almost looked like they were walking down an aisle toward us.
We got our cameras ready.
Jonathan reached the flowers.
He turned toward Nadia.
And he started his speech.
Can Everyone Please Move... Without Realizing Why?
There was just one more tiny problem.
People.
A few park visitors had ended up directly in the background of the proposal.
Obviously, we weren't going to interrupt Jonathan.
So while he was talking to Nadia, we tried to solve it as quietly as possible.
Which basically meant politely—and hopefully quietly—waving our hands around trying to get everyone's attention and convince them to move without Nadia realizing why two random people were suddenly signaling from across the park.
Haha.
Thankfully, they got the message.
The background cleared.
Jonathan finished what he wanted to say.
Then he got down on one knee.
And asked Nadia to marry him.
She said yes.
From Surprise Proposal to Sunset Engagement Session
Once the secret was finally out, everyone could relax.
Jonathan had pulled it off.
Nadia had said yes.
Their doxie had been there for the whole thing.
And we still had some beautiful evening light left.
So we did what we had envisioned weeks earlier when Fairmount Park was still just an idea on a screen.
We started exploring.
We photographed Jonathan and Nadia around the gazebo before moving toward the water and other areas of the park.
As the sun dropped lower, the light continued to change.
Instead of staying in one place for the entire session, we followed it.
A little walking.
A little laughing.
Plenty of photos with their dog.
A few moments to actually process what had just happened.
And an engagement session as the Riverside sky moved closer to sunset.
We spent roughly the next hour photographing them around Fairmount Park and chasing the best light we could find.
It was exactly what we'd hoped the location would give us.
Why Fairmount Park Worked for This Riverside Proposal
What we liked most about Fairmount Park was the amount of variety we could get without having to move Jonathan and Nadia to an entirely different location.
The gazebo gave the proposal a clear destination and a recognizable backdrop.
The surrounding park gave us room to move afterward.
The water added another look to their engagement photos.
And planning the session later in the day allowed us to take advantage of the changing evening light.
Most importantly, though, it kept the proposal in Riverside.
That's what Jonathan had asked for from the beginning.
There may have been easier locations closer to where he lived in Orange County.
There may have been places we had photographed dozens of times before.
But Nadia was from Riverside.
Jonathan wanted that connection to be part of their story.
And sometimes that's the best way to choose where to propose.
Not by asking:
What's the most popular proposal location?
But instead:
What location is going to mean something to the person I'm asking?
What This Proposal Taught Us
This was our first proposal at Fairmount Park, and it reinforced something we've learned again and again photographing surprise proposals throughout Southern California.
Research helps.
Planning helps.
Calls help.
Timelines help.
Looking at photographs and maps beforehand helps.
But nothing completely replaces arriving early and walking the location yourself.
That's how we discovered the gate situation.
That's how we found our backup.
That's how we saw what the evening light was actually doing.
And that's how we created the flow for the engagement session afterward.
A surprise proposal only happens once.
We'd much rather arrive too early and have time to solve a problem than discover it five minutes before someone gets down on one knee.
A Riverside Surprise Proposal Worth Coming Home For
What started with a simple message in early August—
"Do you travel to Riverside?"
—turned into one of our favorite proposal stories of the month.
A location we'd never photographed before.
A gazebo we weren't completely sure would stay open.
A bouquet waiting as a secret marker.
A few strangers we had to silently convince to move.
A doxie along for the adventure.
A nervous walk toward the flowers.
One knee.
One yes.
And an hour spent chasing sunset around Fairmount Park afterward.
Jonathan wanted to give Nadia a proposal connected to the place she came from.
We're grateful he trusted us to help figure out how to make it happen.
Congratulations again, Jonathan & Nadia.
And please give your little four-legged proposal accomplice some extra treats from us. :)
— Son & Stephanie
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