By Aleksandria Rudenko | Published 28 October 2026

Man in a cream jacket kneeling on the grass before a green windmill as she smiles down at him, a proposal at the Zaanse Schans

Marcus had planned his proposal at the Zaanse Schans for months. Li Ting thought they had simply flown in from Singapore to see the windmills.

The old village on the Zaan, with its green wooden houses and historic mills, is a short train ride from Amsterdam. So when Marcus booked one of my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans, the plan was ready before Li Ting knew there was one.

Where
The Zaanse Schans, by a green mill on the Zaan
When
May, around midday
Session
Proposal Photoshoot
Light
Bright sun between big white clouds, with a steady breeze

Waiting by the Green Mill

Before the day, I sent Marcus a map with one spot marked. It was the grass in front of a green mill, with a small crown painted on its cap. When they arrived, I was already there, just another camera among the visitors along the water. He led her onto the grass, took her hand and went down on one knee. Li Ting pressed her hands to her mouth, then started to laugh.

Kneeling man holding her hand with the ring as she looks down, wind in her long hair and visitors far behind under a wide sky
Still on one knee, 12:14

I kept my distance and kept shooting, because a first minute like this never comes twice. When he stood up, she threw her arms around him, and the wind took care of her hair.

Couple in a tight embrace right after the proposal at the Zaanse Schans, white clouds streaking across a blue sky above the grass
Moments later, under a wide May sky

After the Yes at the Zaanse Schans

Only then did I walk over and say hello. Li Ting could not stop looking at her hand, so I gave them a few minutes by the mill without any direction. Afterwards, Marcus spun her around on the grass. Then she jumped onto his back and stretched one arm toward the sails.

Woman in a brown leather jacket smiling at the ring on her hand while her fiancé watches, a green windmill at the Zaanse Schans behind
Laughing woman riding piggyback on her fiancé with one arm stretched toward the sky, the green mill and a gabled house behind them

A Jetty on the Zaan

Next, we walked to a wooden jetty nearby. Across the water stood a row of historic windmills, while the clouds kept sliding over them. Marcus held her from behind as she laughed about the last ten minutes.

Man holding his fiancée from behind on a wooden jetty, the windmills of the Zaanse Schans lined up across the gray water of the Zaan
Windmills across the Zaan, 12:29

Later, she kicked one foot up during a kiss. After that, they sat down at the very end of the jetty, still giggling.

Couple kissing at the end of a jetty while she kicks one sneaker up behind her, the river and green houses on the far bank behind
Newly engaged couple sitting cheek to cheek at the end of the jetty and laughing, her hand on his, green houses across the river

Finally, I walked back to the shore, so they became two small figures between the water and the mills.

Wide view of the couple, small on a wooden jetty in the middle of the Zaan, with the windmills of the Zaanse Schans on the far shore
The jetty on the Zaan, 12:38

Cow Parsley and a New Ring

In May, cow parsley lines the paths of the Zaanse Schans like white lace. It made a soft frame for her new ring, a round center stone with smaller stones on each side. First her hand rested among the flowers, then the ring itself lay on a jagged leaf. Later, she held it up in front of a kiss, half as a joke.

Hand with dark red nails and a new engagement ring held among white cow parsley and yellow buttercups by the path
Engagement ring with a round center diamond and smaller side stones resting on a jagged green leaf beside tiny white flowers
She holds her ring hand up in front of a kiss, her fiancé in a cream jacket half hidden behind it, tall green reeds around them

Long Grass Behind the Zaanse Schans

The last part of their proposal at the Zaanse Schans was a slow walk. At the edge of the village, a farm gate opens onto flat green fields. They pulled faces at each other until they both laughed, and a gust caught her hair during the next kiss.

Couple kissing at a metal farm gate while the wind blows her long hair sideways, flat green fields behind the Zaanse Schans

Back near the mills, the grass stood tall. They leaned in close in front of a dark wooden mill, and she rested her ring hand on his cheek.

Engaged couple standing close and smiling in tall grass before a dark wooden windmill, just after the proposal at the Zaanse Schans
Close portrait of her looking into the lens, her ring hand with red nails resting on his cheek as they lean their heads together

Then they ran through the grass toward the sails and walked back down the path, hand in hand. Their proposal at the Zaanse Schans ended there, just after one o’clock.

Couple running hand in hand through long grass and white wildflowers toward two windmills, seen from behind on a breezy day
Couple walking hand in hand down a winding path toward a windmill and a dark wooden house, the last frame of their Zaanse Schans proposal

Before we said goodbye, Li Ting held up her ring for one more photo, and this time I was in it too. A week later, their gallery was in their inbox, and the windmills went home to Singapore with them.

Selfie of the newly engaged couple pointing at her ring beside a smiling woman in sunglasses, windmills of the Zaanse Schans behind
Just before we said goodbye

Planning to pop the question here yourself? My guide to photo spots at the Zaanse Schans shows the quiet corners we used.

Dreaming of a yes among the windmills? Discover how my photoshoots at the Zaanse Schans work.