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New York Scavenger Hunt Surprise Proposal

Rob put together an incredible NYC scavenger hunt marriage proposal for Steph!  Each handwritten clue lead her through their favorite New York spots, with the final clue leading her to where they first met and to Rob, awaiting her arrival on bended knee.

Want to plan your own dream NYC scavenger hunt engagement and have it discreetly captured with hidden proposal photography?  Give us a call at 888-287-5120, or fill out the form below for a free consultation with one of our proposal experts!  

We offer easy-to-book proposal plans and customizable NYC proposal photography packages.  From initial New York proposal ideas to thorough logistics, we’re here to help you plan your perfect New York proposal!  And if you’d like to plan your scavenger hunt proposal outside of NYC, it’s no problem. We offer our services in every major city nationwide, so no matter where you want to pop the question, we’re here to help!

In the meantime, read on to find out the love story that inspired Rob’s sweet New York scavenger hunt marriage proposal!

How They Met:

Rob and Steph met on July 20, 2012 at a mutual friend’s birthday cruise of the New York City harbor, featuring the musical stylings of Billy Joel cover band Big Shot.

Though their stories differ slightly, they both agree that after Steph asked their mutual friend who on the cruise was single, he turned around and pointed out Rob and quickly introduced the pair. They immediately hit it off, bonding over a shared love of Billy Joel and spending the rest of the night talking, laughing, singing and dancing together. As the evening was coming to a close, Rob snapped a great photo of the New York City skyline and smoothly asked “What’s your phone number?  I’ll send it to you.”

Rob was drawn in by her fun personality and how easily they got along, and Steph was equally impressed by his rendition of “We Didn’t Start The Fire” and the smooth way he got her phone number, which she says she still can’t believe she fell for!  And what about the photo that started it all?

“That picture is now framed in our apartment, and makes for a great conversation, as well as a milestone of when we met!”  Rob revealed.

How They Knew:

They both knew they had found The One when Hurricane Sandy hit in October of that year.  Both of their apartments had no power, so they waited out the storm at Rob’s place.

“We spent five consecutive days together with no technology or hot water,” said Rob.  “Our only entertainment was each other and a bottle of red wine.  If we could get through those crazy few days together and still want to see each other, we felt pretty good about moving forward!” 

Planning the Perfect New York Scavenger Hunt Surprise Proposal:

Fast forward three years later, and Rob was thinking of how he could incorporate all the memories of the times they shared together into one incredible marriage proposal.  He decided an NYC scavenger hunt proposal would be the perfect way to pop the question.  He contacted Paparazzi Proposals to discuss his New York scavenger hunt surprise proposal idea, and we helped him work out the logistics and to make sure the whole day was beautifully documented with secret proposal photography!

Steph reads the first clue after leaving their apartment. She had no idea that our photographer was discreetly capturing the whole scavenger hunt!

Once he drafted up his proposal plan, he ran it past Steph’s mom, to make sure it included everything she’d want in a dream engagement (how sweet!).  Then, he reached out to her boss and arranged for her to have the day off work.  On Friday morning, she woke up to a clue directing her to their favorite breakfast spot, a neighborhood bagel cafe.  Our sneaky snapper trailed her paparazzi-style to capture her heading to each location on the treasure hunt!

Reading the second clue outside of their favorite breakfast spot.

Once there, she received her second clue.  The clues lead her through their favorite date spots, and places where they celebrated milestones in their relationship.

Heading to Dry Bar after a stop at the apartment to quickly change.

Rob knew she’d want to be glammed up for her engagement photos, so he incorporated a mani-pedi, a professional makeup artist and a blowout at Dry Bar into the scavenger hunt!

A black car picked Steph up from the salon and whisked her to the West Side Highway, at Circle 84, right near Circle Cruise Lines— the cruise where they first met.

As she walked towards him, he dropped to one knee and pulled a velvet box from his back pocket, opening it to reveal a sparkling engagement ring from Diamond Castle.  Completely overjoyed, Steph said, “Yes!!!”

And the surprises didn’t stop there! Rob had invited all of their friends and family to wait nearby at Landsdowne Road, the bar where they had shared their first date, for an impromptu engagement party!  Rob rented our New York wedding proposal photographer with our special proposal photography package and was able to capture the whole incredible day with stunning professional photography.

See more gorgeous NYC wedding proposal photography photos in the couple’s full proposal slideshow!  

And, if you’re ready to get started planning your own romantic scavenger hunt marriage proposal, don’t forget to contact us to run your initial ideas past one of our proposal experts!