There’s something so special about photographing a proposal, but there’s an entirely different kind of excitement that comes with knowing the plan long before she does.
For months, Josh and I quietly planned his surprise proposal to Amelia at Fort Pickens in Pensacola, Florida. Before the proposal, I wanted to make sure I knew the area well. My husband and I spent some time at Fort Pickens scouting the location, exploring the park, and even riding e-bikes around the area together that morning.
When Josh and Amelia arrived, everything looked like a normal evening at the beach. As they made their way to the spot we had planned, Josh finally got down on one knee and asked Amelia to marry him. Her reaction was everything!
She was completely caught off guard, and getting to photograph that moment as she realized what was happening was one of those reminders of why I love photographing stories like this in the first place. There's nothing posed about those first few seconds. It's just pure emotion.
After the surprise, we spent the rest of the evening exploring Fort Pickens and taking photos together.
The park was the perfect setting for their engagement photos. The sand was incredibly white, the water was this beautiful blue, and the whole evening had that quiet, coastal feeling that makes the Gulf Coast so special.
Just as the evening was winding down, the harvest moon began to glow. It felt like the perfect ending!
Josh and Amelia stood together beneath the moonlight, officially engaged, with the beach stretching out around them. After months of secretly planning the moment, everything had finally come together.
There's something really special about getting to photograph the beginning of a new chapter for two people.
Not just the ring or the reaction, but everything surrounding it. The anticipation. The nerves. The surprise. The way they look at each other afterward. The feeling of knowing that their lives just changed in the best possible way.
Josh and Amelia, thank you for trusting me to be part of such an important moment in your story. I'm so glad we got to keep the secret and even more glad that I got to document the beginning of your engagement.
And if you're dreaming up a surprise proposal of your own, I'd love to help you plan it, photograph it, and make sure the moment feels like *you*.
