Short Sand Beach Surprise Proposal
When Whitney reached out to me for help planning her surprise proposal to Emma, I already knew that this was going to be an epic session. A few weeks before Whitney planned to pop the question, we started setting everything up. And we really had only one thing in mind: keep this a surprise.
Choosing the Perfect Place to Pop the Question.
Picking the location was easy. Short Sand Beach is symbolic to Whitney and Emma. It was the first place that they ever really hung out and it signified the beginning of their story – so, it made sense that this is would be the first place that they’d promise to spend forever together at too!
Since Emma’s family lives in the UK, the proposal had to be early. Whitney wanted her to be able to call home and share the news straight after. And the best part was, her family knew it was happening! They were all waiting by the phone *aww*!
Keeping it Shhhh!! Afterall, it’s a Surprise Proposal.
Whitney really thought of everything… everything except how I was supposed to sneak on the scene undetected. That part of the plan was up to me. So, I brought a “friend”, who happened to know a thing or two about styling shoots. We hung out around the beach and I started shooting, you know… sand, seagulls, the lapping ocean waves. All while making sure I could flip my lens at the exact moment that Whitney got down on one knee.
And despite me sneaking in a few shots leading up to the big question, Emma never expected a thing! I still have butterflies. Hiding in plain site, ensuring that I was far enough away to not appear suspicious (helloooo zoom lens!), and yet close enough to capture the perfect shot… my heart pounds just thinking about it! I can only imagine what Whitney was going through…
But when I watched Emma’s face beam as she said “YES!” and then again, a few minutes later when Whitney revealed that I was there, strategically capturing their intimate beach proposal, I knew we had done it. It takes a lot to pull of a surprise like this with a photographer there to capture it all, but it’s always 100% worth it.
Into Forever After… Your Proposal’s Just the Beginning.
After Whitney popped the question, they popped a bottle of champagne to toast their next chapter. They posed for a few more perfect engagement photos before I left them on the sand, sprawled out on their Pendelton blanket, to continue their romantic afternoon.
If this story has you swooning for your own surprise proposal pics, I’m up for the challenge. Let’s talk, and figure out how to best surprise your special someone! A once-in-a-lifetime moment deserves to be captured forever.
