Lahaina Proposal at the Beach
We planned Ryan’s Lahaina proposal around existing dinner reservations, so Haley wouldn’t suspect a thing.
Ideally, you would come to us early, before you have any activities set in stone for your Maui vacation, so we can pick your proposal date and everything can be planned around your big moment. Popping the question on your first or second full day when you don’t have much to do (besides a nice dinner) is usually best case scenario.
Since proposals are a surprise (they often know it’s coming but not where or when), keeping your schedule open can be tough.
One thing we recommend doing is telling your sweetie you would like one or two days of the vacation to plan. Having two days of your own to plan is nice because you can use one of those days to either throw them off your scent or have some surprises to kick off the celebration of your engagement the day after the proposal.
However, if your other half is the planner in your relationship, then this request can raise too much suspicion. Or clients find Engaged on Maui when their itinerary is already full.
When your itinerary is action-packed, we have to find openings and locations that will work with your plans. The downside is that it can force us to plan proposals at times we wouldn’t normally shoot at because lighting is very hard to work with. The upside is that your proposal fits so well into your itinerary, they won’t see it coming.
THE PLAN:
Ryan came to us wanting to propose to Haley on a very special date – their 10th anniversary! They had dinner reservations at Fleetwood’s on Front St. for the occasion. They were already planning on checking out Lahaina town before dinner so figuring out a beach in Lahaina was the way to go.
Ryan wanted to keep his Lahaina proposal simple. They had a lot of activities planned and he preferred to pop the question on one of their chill days.
We know the instinct can be to go big and over-the-top, especially when you see proposals like that on social media, but honestly so many of our favorite proposals are simple and heartfelt. The emphasis is kept on the couple, their love, and the commitment they are making to each other.
THE PROPOSAL:
On that day, our photographer Tim discreetly waited for Ryan and Haley at the start of the beach. It was a little bit of a walk to the proposal spot, so Tim secretly followed them to make sure he could capture Ryan getting down on one knee.
Haley must have had a suspicion, or at least a hope, that Ryan would propose on their anniversary, but her reaction was still surprised and then overjoyed.
THE ENGAGEMENT SESSION:
For beach sessions, we normally plan timing at sunrise, early morning, or ending at sunset for the most flattering lighting.
Ryan and Haley’s dinner reservation was before sunset and we had to give them enough time to get from the beach to the restaurant. We knew with the timing, their lighting wouldn’t be as soft as we like and they would miss any sunset colors, but Tim made it work. Ideal lighting or not, their love shines! Ryan and Haley have been together through high school, college, and beyond, so it was an incredible honor to be part of this huge steps in their lives!
Ryan and Haley: Thank you so much for your trust. Here’s to your first decade together and many many more to come!
Photographed by Associate Tim | Simple Proposal
