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National Hotel Proposal and South Beach Engagement Photography
This couple was SO much fun to work with and obviously adore each other. There’s nothing better than photographing couples in love. Here’s a little behind the scenes information into the surprise proposal and engagement story:
Planning the National Hotel Proposal and South Beach Engagement Photography Session
The Plan: A couple of months earlier, he reached out about wanting to document their surprise proposal. We discussed a few options and ultimately he decided to propose on the beach behind the hotel they were staying at – the National Hotel Miami Beach. He told her to bring several outfits along – but she had no idea why. He booked a 2 hour session so not only would they have their proposal captured, but we’d have plenty of time to photograph an engagement-style photo session both on the beach and in the hotel as well. He obtained permission from the hotel beforehand so we were able to photograph on their property.
How the surprise proposal went down!
How it went down: I arrived early, nervous and sweaty 🙂 It was a beautiful July day in Miami. The sun was out and I enjoyed the gorgeous view of the palm trees by the water as I did some early-session scouting to find the best spots for photographing them. I waited for them on the boardwalk behind the National Hotel. He texted me when they were coming down so I knew to be on the lookout for them. He also sent me a photo of the two of them prior to the session and told me what they would both be wearing so it made it easy to spot them. They arrived with drinks in hand, enjoying a leisurely walk on the beach. He very smartly put all their stuff down on the side so they wouldn’t be in the photos (her bag, their drinks, etc.) I was using a long lens to capture them from a distance. I told him I’d follow him to whichever spot he found on the beach where he’d feel comfortable proposing. In this case, he chose a great spot with few people around but still had a great view of the water.
He got down on one knee and her face lit up in a smile. She said yes as cheers erupted around them. I love the shot as they’re walking toward me after the proposal, completely enraptured in pure joy. At this point he informed her about our photo shoot and she was excited about the idea. At first we photographed by the pool. It was a Saturday afternoon so there were people around, but there were some spots on the side away from the crowds. But no matter… we just ignored everyone and continued photographing! 🙂 It was humid and his outfit started getting a little sweaty. No matter – they were staying right there at the hotel which made it easy and practical to do an outfit change. They both changed outfits and then we photographed in several different spots – in the lobby, in front of the hotel, etc. It was really nice having a break from the heat and photographing them in the air conditioned lobby! We talked about doing one more outfit change – she had this beautiful red dress that would be a perfect color for the beach! So one more outfit change later, we headed out to the beach to catch the golden light before sunset. I love this session so much and hope you enjoy the photos!
You can check out all of the surprise proposals on the blog. Contact me to book a proposal session in Miami!
