A Carmel Beach proposal featuring one of my best friends and his girlfriend of more than six years? Of course I’m going to be there, even if it’s on a weeknight. Jon is actually the one who introduced me to Sam, but despite that (just kidding!) I count him as one of my best friends. So, of course, I was incredibly excited when, back in January, Jon told us that he was planning on proposing to Reba! He knew the best time for them to get married would be next summer, after she graduates from law school, and that meant he’d have to propose in May/June 2016 to give them a year to plan. And since he was planning on making the engagement ring… that meant he needed to start designing in January. I have a bunch of photos from the design process that I am super excited to share with you, so keep your eye out for that post 🙂

Once the ring was finished, it was time for Jon to start planning the proposal. I was super excited that I managed to convince him to let me photograph the proposal! Unlike Lisa and Wayne’s Sutro Bath proposal, I knew that I would have to hide from Reba, because she knows what I look like! We talked about a few of their favorite locations in the area and how I might hide… but Jon ended up planning a little getaway weekend in Carmel for the week before Reba started her summer job. He came to me a little apologetic about the fact that photographing the proposal might not work out, since he wanted to propose on Thursday night in Carmel, which would mean a long drive in traffic for me. I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity though, and I told him it was actually a good thing, because there’s no way she would suspect I would be there!

On the day of the proposal, Jon shared his location with me via his iPhone so that I could keep tabs on them. I took off from work early and drove down to Carmel to avoid the traffic. This also gave me time to scout out the location beforehand, since I wasn’t able to go with him when he chose it. Jon had found me a tree to hide behind, and I took a quick photo of exactly where I wanted him to get on one knee ;). Then I proceeded with the rest of my plan to ensure Reba didn’t spot me before the proposal… I changed into Sam’s basketball shorts and a baggy t-shirt, pulled my hair up in a ponytail and tucked it into a baseball cap. Now, if you know me, that is completely uncharacteristic! I am pretty much always wearing dresses, haha. Then I settled in with my Kindle to wait for them to arrive. Jon texted me when they were leaving the restaurant, and I was able to follow their progress on my phone. When they made it on to the beach, Jon started taking Reba’s jacket off because he knew photos were about to happen! Of course, it was a cold and windy night, so Reba was a little annoyed by this, haha. Isn’t it funny how girls often get a little annoyed at their boyfriends for acting all weird right before the proposal? 😉 I hid behind the tree for the first few shots before running up closer once Reba’s attention was completely on Jon. Apparently I had done such a good job of disguising myself that when Reba finally noticed me, she turned to Jon and asked, “Do we know that person?!” Haha! After that, we headed to the beach and took some quick engagement photos, even though we were chasing the last of the light. I am so glad that I was able to capture this moment for them! Their Carmel beach proposal was perfect in every way <3 Congratulations you two!! I can’t wait for your wedding!

Contact me or email me at alice@aliceche.com now to book your Carmel beach proposal now! I promise you will both treasure the photos of the start of your new journey together <3 And you absolutely don’t need to worry about spoiling the surprise for your fiance. If I can hide from one of my good friends, I can hide from anyone 😉

If you liked this post, you definitely want to check out Lisa and Wayne’s Sutro Bath Proposal and you might also like this fun beach engagement session.

Alice Che is a San Francisco Wedding Photographer based in the Bay Area specializing in intimate, emotional wedding, engagement, couple and boudoir photography. Serving the South Bay, Peninsula, and East Bay: San Jose, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Carlos, Burlingame, Los Altos, Milpitas, Union City, Fremont, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz and surrounding areas.