I swear to you…I will never get sick of photographing surprise proposals. They are filled with so much joy and emotion and I always feel honored to be a part of this special moment. I want to take a moment to blog about this recent Long Beach, NY engagement session.

When my client first contacted me, I knew this was going to be a special evening. He left no detail uncovered for his big moment. He wanted to shoot on the beach, which is where his first date with his girlfriend took place. He wanted champagne, roses, fireworks…the whole kit and caboodle. In short, he wanted to go big and show his lady just how much she means to him.

When I tell you his plan was solid…I am not lying. He pretended to be at a football game and even texted her images from “his seats” at the game. He contacted her sister and her friends and they took her out to brunch. Their job was to get her to the beach entrance after brunch, where he would pop out and surprise her. The plan worked like a charm. When she pulled up, I could see the shock on her face. Her sister blasted Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” as she drove down the block and need I even say, that the tears began to flow immediately. I am not going to lie, I always cry at proposals, but I was kind of ugly crying once I heard the song. I mean…this was like a scene from a romance movie.

After she got out of the car, my client walked his love up the ramp and down to the beach where he had dozens and dozens of roses arranged on the sand. He got down on one knee and right after she said yes, fireworks sounded off. It was an absolutely beautiful and touching moment.

After the proposal, I grabbed the newly engaged couple for some engagement portraits. We were blessed with a spectacular sunset and it was a rare 78 degree Long Island October evening. I had so much fun capturing portraits of this couple, who laughed though the duration of the session.

We then went back to the arrangement of roses, where he and his fiancee had a Veuve champagne toast. I absolutely love capturing couples pop bottles of bubbly. It really is so fun and marks the celebratory nature of the event. Afterwards, he set off some fireworks with his fiancee, which they did on their first date on the beach. I captured some fun images of that and then sent them on their way to a surprise party here planned. Can you think of a more spectacular engagement?

Although this engagement took place in New York, I plan to continue my surprise proposal photography services in St Augustine, Florida when I move there in 2025. I can’t wait to meet couples from the North East Florida area and help them to document their love for one another. In the interim, here are a few of my favorites from his lovely couple’s day.