Sometimes the best plans are the ones you never planned in the first place.
Ethan and Bailey were a few weeks into a three week road trip, house sitting for friends in San Francisco and getting ready for the final stretch of their adventure.
The original plan was Big Sur.
Ethan had picked up the ring in San Francisco and was planning to propose somewhere along that incredible stretch of California coastline. But a fire in the Big Sur area changed their plans and Ethan needed to pivot.
So he did what most of us do when we need to figure something out quickly.
He Googled it.
Finding a Sonoma County Proposal Photographer
Ethan started searching for a Sonoma County proposal photographer and places along the Northern California coast where he could ask Bailey to marry him.
And somehow, the Google gods did their thing and brought him to me.
He found photographs I’d taken at Bodega Head and immediately knew where he wanted to do it.
Ethan reached out and left his phone number. If you know me, you know I’m not particularly interested in spending three days emailing back and forth when we can figure something out in ten minutes.
I was available, so I called him.
We got right down to business.
He showed me the photographs he loved from my website and told me he wanted that exact rugged cliffside overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
I knew exactly where he was talking about.
Planning a Proposal at Bodega Head
I gave Ethan directions to the little trail at Bodega Head and explained exactly where I wanted him and Bailey to go.
Then came my standard Sonoma Coast disclaimer.
Bodega can do whatever Bodega wants.
It can be sunny and gorgeous in Santa Rosa and completely fogged in at the coast. It can be calm one minute and wildly windy the next.
Ethan didn’t care.
He loved that it was rugged and outdoorsy. That was them. And he knew Bailey would love it too.
Perfect.
Let’s do it.
The Night Ethan Asked Bailey to Marry Him
The timing worked out almost ridiculously well.
It was a Monday evening, and I was already making my way south from Gualala back home to Santa Rosa after photographing another proposal at Sea Ranch.
[You can see that Sea Ranch proposal here.]
Ethan and Bailey arrived at Bodega Head around 6:15 and wandered along the cliffs together.
Meanwhile, I got into position and waited.
Around 6:30, Ethan brought Bailey out to the spot we’d planned.
And then he dropped to one knee.
Bailey said yes.
Seals, Whales, Birds and One Very Big Yes
There are some evenings along the Sonoma Coast when everything seems to show up at once.
This was one of them.
Seals were playing in the water below us. In the distance, we could see whale spouts rising from the Pacific. Birds were flying and dancing overhead.
And yes, it was windy.
Very Bodega.
But the light was gorgeous, and honestly, the wind became part of the story.
Bailey’s hair was blowing everywhere. They were laughing. They were holding onto each other. Nothing about it felt overly perfect or staged.
It felt adventurous.
It felt alive.
And it felt like them.
Turning a Surprise Proposal Into Engagement Photos
Once Bailey realized that I was not, in fact, some random woman hanging around Bodega Head with a camera, we spent some time exploring together.
That’s one of my favorite parts of photographing proposals.
The actual question happens in seconds.
Then everything changes.
You’re engaged.
So after I photograph the surprise itself, I love giving my couples a little time to enjoy what just happened before we wander around and turn the rest of the evening into a relaxed engagement session.
For Ethan and Bailey, we had the cliffs, trails, ocean, wind and beautiful evening light.
No elaborate setup needed.
Just two people at the end of a three week road trip who were now going home engaged.
Why Bodega Head Is One of My Favorite Sonoma County Proposal Locations
If you’re looking for somewhere to propose in Sonoma County and you love the outdoors, Bodega Head is pretty damn hard to beat.
You’re standing on these rugged cliffs with the Pacific Ocean stretching out in front of you. There are trails everywhere, beautiful coastal grasses and completely unobstructed views of the water.
And because this is nature, no two evenings look exactly the same.
Sometimes you get golden light.
Sometimes you get fog.
Sometimes you get wind.
And apparently, sometimes the seals, whales and birds all decide to join your proposal too.
The unpredictability is part of what makes the Sonoma Coast so beautiful.
Planning a Sonoma County Proposal?
I’ve been photographing quite a few proposals lately, and I absolutely love them.
Whether you’re planning months ahead or you’re halfway through a road trip and suddenly need to pivot because Big Sur isn’t going to happen, I can help you figure it out.
I photograph proposals and engagement sessions throughout Sonoma County, Bodega Bay, the Sonoma Coast, Sea Ranch and the surrounding Northern California coast.
If you already have a location in mind, great. If you have absolutely no idea where to start, that’s okay too.
Tell me what the two of you love, what you’re envisioning and whether you’re looking for ocean cliffs, redwoods, rolling hills, vineyards or something completely different.
We’ll figure out the rest.
And if I’m available and you leave me your phone number, there’s a pretty good chance I’m just going to call you.
Ethan and Bailey, I loved photographing this one.
What started as a change of plans ended with the two of you standing on a cliff above the Pacific, newly engaged, with whales in the distance and an entire adventure ahead of you.
And now that I’ve photographed all these proposals lately, I’m just putting this out into the universe:
Someone needs to come back and let me photograph the wedding, too.
Getting married or know someone who is? Here are some other wedding venues I love:
Timber Cove Resort (Henry + Tyler)
Timber Cove Resort (Candace + Harry)
