June is always a very busy time of year for engagements. The weather has started to warm up, people are getting outdoors more and it is the perfect time to ask your loved one to marry you. I get a lot of inquiries for this type of session and many clients are often interested in the beach as a possible location. I just love photographing surprise proposals and I love capturing them at the beach. Although the beach is a great spot to start your life as a couple together, there are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that this location is best for your proposal.

The Time of Day That You Propose Matters

The time of day at which you propose is important with a beach location. An hour before sunset is the ideal time of day to have photos taken at the beach. At this time of day, the light is soft and the golden colors of sunset will be the backdrop for your photos. Furthermore, it is less likely that there will be large crowds at the beach at sunset. Sunset is really late in the Summer months, which means if you are proposing in June or July, your start time will likely be around 7:00 or 7:30 pm. It will be about an hour earlier than that in late August and September. If you need to propose earlier in the day, then early morning would be ideal and certain beaches will work better than others.

The first photo below was taken at around 10 am on a day in June. The second two were taken one hour before sunset in June.

Not Every Beach is Equal

Some beach locations work better than others for several reasons. First, some beaches are more private than others, while others will be more congested. This is important to consider if you do not want a large amount of people around when you pop the question. On the other hand, sometimes a secluded beach location might seem suspicious to your partner or might not work well with your proposal plan. These are all important factors to consider when choosing the location. You have to really weigh all of these options out before you choose the best location to ask your loved one to spend the rest of her life with you.

Is the Location a Place you are Likely to Visit as a Couple?

The most important factor of a successful surprise proposal plan is to maintain the element of surprise. It is best to avoid suspicion until that very moment when you are on your knee asking the question. I totally get it…this is not an easy task, but it is the most important part of the plan. There are many ways you can ensure you maintain the element of surprise while planning your proposal, but one important way is by choosing a location that is not going to seem suspicious. If your girlfriend/partner is not likely to want to take a stroll down the beach at sunset, then this might not be the best place for you and I can help you come up with another equally beautiful location. If the beach works well with your plan and your girlfriend will easily roll with it, then you can’t beat the beach at sunset. I am going to blog about ways to keep your plan a secret at a later time.

Rain Happens

When the beach is your preferred location for a proposal, you must consider the possibility of rain. You must have a back up plan and more often, multiple back up plans. When I work with clients proposing at the beach, I always leave my entire day of the session open so that if we need to start earlier or later, we can do so to accommodate the weather. I also build in a rain date so that if the day is a complete washout, we can move the session to the next day. Some clients can’t switch dates because they have a party planned for immediately afterwards. In that case, it is absolutely essential to come up with a back up location. If your partner is the type that is down for a stroll on the beach in the rain, then it is perfectly fine to shoot during rain. In fact, the pics will look adorable and there are many fun and creative ways we can make the most of the situation. If your girlfriend is not likely to do that, then you will need to plan for that possibility.

Ready to Plan Your Big Day?

I hope that these tips gave you a little insight into what you need to know about the beach as a possible location for your engagement. If you need help creating a plan for your proposal or need a photographer to capture your special day, contact me.