Nathan & Nakita’s Surprise Proposal at Maybe Mae, Adelaide

6 Nov

Surprise proposal
June 2026
Maybe Mae, Adelaide CBD

Some proposals need a cliff top or a sunset. Nathan's needed a bar stool. In June 2026 he asked Nakita to marry him at Maybe Mae, the hidden cocktail bar under Peel Street in Adelaide's CBD, and the same place the two of them went on their very first date. My job was to capture every second of it without Nakita having the faintest idea I was there.

Nathan down on one knee proposing to Nakita in a green leather booth at Maybe Mae, Adelaide, black and white — The moment, in the booth where it all started

Going undercover at the bar

The secret to a good surprise proposal shoot is not looking like a photographer. I arrived about 30 minutes before Nathan and Nakita, took a seat at the bar and ordered what everyone around me assumed was a cocktail. It wasn't. It was my disguise. With a drink in front of me and the camera kept low, I was just another regular enjoying a quiet one after work.

That half hour also gave me time to scope out the room: where the light falls in the booths, which angles keep me out of Nakita's eyeline, and how to move without drawing attention when the moment came.

The glowing Maybe Mae neon sign at the hidden entrance to the bar on Peel Street, Adelaide

Bartender straining a cocktail into a coupe glass at Maybe Mae, Adelaide

Back where it all began

When they walked in and settled into one of the green leather booths, nothing about the night looked unusual to Nakita: just a date night at their spot. I shot a few frames of them chatting over drinks, the kind of candid images that only work when nobody knows the camera is there.

Nathan and Nakita chatting in a green booth at Maybe Mae moments before the surprise proposal — Just another date night, as far as Nakita knew

The question

Then Nathan slid out of the booth and dropped to one knee. The rest happened fast: the gasp, the yes, the kiss, and a long hug that I'm pretty sure the whole bar was watching by the end. Because I was already sitting a few metres away, I didn't miss a beat of it.

Nathan and Nakita kissing in the booth after she said yes at Maybe Mae, Adelaide

Black and white photo of the newly engaged couple kissing under the pendant light at Maybe Mae

Newly engaged Nathan and Nakita holding each other beside the booth at Maybe Mae — She said yes

Close-up of Nakita's new engagement ring as Nathan holds her hand

Two glasses of bubbles on the bar to celebrate the engagement at Maybe Mae

Nathan and Nakita raising a toast in the booth after getting engaged at Maybe Mae, Adelaide

A walk through the city

Once the bubbles were finished, we headed up to street level for a short walk through town. The streets were still wet from the evening rain, which is the best thing that can happen to night photography: every street light and shop sign reflects off the footpath. Twenty minutes of wandering gave us relaxed couple portraits to go with the candid proposal shots.

Nathan and Nakita sharing a kiss in the laneway outside Maybe Mae after their proposal

Engaged couple walking hand in hand across a rain-soaked street in Adelaide at night

Nakita and Nathan walking past city lights on a wet Adelaide street after their engagement

Engagement portrait of Nakita and Nathan against a dark stone wall in Adelaide's CBD

Nathan sitting on a planter with Nakita leaning on his shoulder during their Adelaide engagement portraits

Dinner at Osteria Oggi

From there the newly engaged pair walked on to dinner at Osteria Oggi on Pirie Street, and I packed up and left them to it. A first-date bar, a short walk in the rain and a long Italian dinner: honestly, it's hard to plan a better night than that.

Planning a surprise proposal in Adelaide?

A few things that made this one work:

Pick a place that means something. Going back to their first-date bar made the night instantly personal.
Let the photographer get there early. Thirty minutes was enough to blend in, learn the light and pick my spot.
Plan the after. A short walk for portraits and a dinner booking turns a five-minute moment into a whole night to remember.

The team: drinks at Maybe Mae, Peel Street, dinner at Osteria Oggi, Pirie Street, and photography by Dylan Sanders, Sanderism.

Want a hidden photographer for your proposal?

I photograph surprise proposals, elopements and weddings across Adelaide and South Australia. Tell me your plan and I'll help with the timing, the location and staying out of sight.

Plan your proposal Weddings & proposals

Dylan Sanders