Surprise Marriage Proposal at Grandview Surf Beach in Encinitas, California with Elise & Mike
“You have to meet my friend Elise.”
And meet her he did… after a few tries. Mike is from Asheville and Elise is from Pittsburgh but both moved to San Diego around the same time three years ago. Mutual friends of theirs were trying to orchestrate a set-up, but they missed each other at a few social events. Eventually, they followed each other on Instagram and chatted online about Grandview Beach in Encinitas where Mike loved to surf. This was their first interaction and Mike’s plan was to propose where it all began.
Mike and Elise are in the Navy and when Mike contacted me about capturing their proposal, Elise was toward the end of her deployment. Her family was planning to fly in for the occasion and Mike and Elise also had plans to go to Mexico for a post-deployment vacation! She was on her way home when the ship redirected to Guam to provide humanitarian assistance after the island got hit with a category 5 “super-typhoon.” Mike was in cancel mode when he received some good news - the boat turned around and Elise would be home on time after all! The following is a little snippet of Mike’s initial email:
[Elise] is a fiery red-head with the most beautiful blue eyes and a smile out of this world (okay that's enough fluffing my girl up lol). We've been together 2.5 years and can't be more on the same page of where we want this to go. I'm excited, the families are excited and I know she'll be over the moon.
So wonderful, right?
The goal was to capture the moment authentically and in Mike’s words, “still preserve that feeling of intimacy until the deed is done. A true surprise proposal request. One where Elise and I are going to be our candid selves and I just want to capture that - in whatever form it appears.” Candids are my bread and butter! There’s nothing more beautiful than capturing genuine, feel-good memories.
Mike and I met at the beach ahead of time to scout the location and discuss any last minute details. As far as Elise knew, they were going to meet Mike’s best friend who would be surfing and then head to the mall afterwards. Mike was to dress nice but nothing out of the norm and to try and stick to neutral colors that complimented whatever Elise decided to wear. He suspected Elise would wear leggings, a t-shirt, and one of his flannels - he knows his girl well. They were comfortable, madly in love, and showed up as their most authentic selves which made this proposal one of my favorites. Here’s what Mike had to say about the experience:
Mallory captured EXACTLY what I wanted…THE moment. Upfront, she’s a rockstar. From the second I reached out, every question, concern, and option was answered and vetted. No stone unturned, Mallory coordinated meeting up at the engagement location to fully scout the spot and thoroughly discussed lighting/editing styles (of which her AWESOME website/Insta has endless material to reference). I can’t highlight enough her professionalism and flexibility when all my proposal plans changed and Mallory was right there to audible and accommodate whatever she could within her schedule. Crisis averted, she fully got behind my surprise proposal plan and seamlessly gave us space while being right there to capture the moment. The process is “stressful”, but rest assured Mallory will literally do everything in her power to make it as enjoyable and exciting as it should be.
Above all else, Mallory is good people. She’s THAT person you want capturing - what could be up to that point - the most important moment of your life (or literally just any time you want kick-butt pictures). I could go on forever about how extremely comfortable Mallory made us feel during and after the big-moment, but you can read that in all of her other shinning reviews. Mallory’s end product and the experience along the way is worth every penny. If you’re looking for the full package, stop looking. You’ve found it.
Thank you Mike and Elise for being so welcoming and for trusting me to photograph this once-in-a-lifetime moment. I’m so glad we connected and I could not be happier for you both! The wedding bells be RINGIN’!
Planning on popping the question? Take it from me, the moment will feel like a blur. An incredibly special moment that you’ll want photographed so you can revel in it later. That’s where I come in - let’s chat!
