Daniel hit the ball out of the park with this Malibu proposal to Erica. Under the ruse of celebrating her college graduation, he bought her a new dress and made plans for brunch in Malibu and a fun day out. The one thing he left out? A clifftop proposal at Point Dume. She was surprised but held it together long enough to say YES, as I kept snapping photos in the bushes. Congratulations, Daniel and Erica, on this beautiful moment and big decision to spend the rest of your life together! 

I'm loving these photos of Blair's proposal to Kristina at the beach in Malibu! The two were on vacation (from the east coast), and had scheduled a photo shoot under the guise of maternity photos at the beach. The two are expecting their first child in a couple months, and this vacation was their "babymoon." Kristina knew about the photoshoot, but she didn't know about the surprise proposal. It was the perfect guise to get her all dressed up at this beautiful location and let the magic ensue. 

Click READ MORE for all the photos and for a play-by-play of this beautiful Malibu beach proposal. 

This Malibu beach proposal was about as picture perfect as you can possibly get. With a hazy golden sunset and a troop of family members flown in *surprise* from the east coast, to celebrate the moment when Taylor said yes when Bray asked the most important question of both their lives. With a little planning ahead (making sure they knew and I knew where to stand), we pulled off these beautiful photos of the moment and the aftermath, with all the hugs, kisses, and champagne toasts from beloved family.

And I even got to take 20 to sneak these two away for a couples-only session to snap a set of photos for their invitations, frames, wedding website, etc. Congratulations, Bray and Taylor, on your engagement!

For Abdul's Malibu beach proposal, he knew that Alex loves sunflowers, so he created a pathway of sunflowers in the sand and waited on the beach with a ring box in his pocket. She showed up, en route to "brunch with sister," and the stage was set. She saw Abdul, he grabbed her hand and led her down the sunflower path, got down on one knee... and she said yes. After that we snapped a bunch of beautiful engagement photos at the beach! Can't wait for these two lovebirds to get married on the beach in a few months. 

It just doesn't get any better than this. Kevin reached out to me a few weeks ago because he was planning to propose to Holly, the love of his life, at Point Dume in Malibu, California, and he wanted some photos to document the moment. Best. Decision. Ever. At sunrise, just as the beautiful Pacific Ocean was being bathed in morning light, Kevin led Holly up to the clifftop and sat with her a few moments to reflect on their past and future together. And in that inspiring location, with only the waves and the seagulls (and me, hiding in the bushes) as witness, Kevin asked Holly if she would spend the rest of her life with him. And of course she said yes! 

Mike hit a home run by proposing to Nina at sunset at Point Dume State Beach in Malibu, California. And then he hit a grand slam by inviting both their families to arrive to the beach and surprise her immediately after he proposed, hugging and snapping photos on the sand together before going out for a big celebratory dinner (after we sprinted up to the top of Point Dume to capture a quick set of engagement photos with the knockout ocean view). 

Congratulations Mike and Nina!! I'm sure your wedding will be just as playful, easy-going, and stylish as the two of you are! 

If I could shoot a proposal every day of my life, I would die a happy woman. But since I can't, I'll just relive Marcellino's picture-perfect proposal to Rachael at Cielo Farms vineyard. In addition to being a working vineyard and (appointment only) tasting room, Cielo Farms is also an incredible venue where intimate weddings and celebrations take place regularly. So you can imagine—the view is incredible. 

Marcellino and Rachael were on a 4th of July trip to visit Los Angeles. They did it right: stay in downtown, beach hop, wine tasting, concert at the Hollywood Bowl. The only thing they (or rather Rachael) didn't plan on was getting proposed to on one of their perfect days. Together with the Cielo Farms team, Marcellino planned his proposal down to the moment, and all I had to do was hide amid the grapevines with my zoom lens, snapping away.

After popping the question, Cielo Farms hooked them up with glasses of champagne to toast their new beginning together, and we immediately went exploring to snag a quick set of portraits to commemorate their moment. 

Enjoy these beautiful snaps of Marcellino and Rachael's Cielo Farms engagement. 

If I could photograph a proposal every day for the rest of my life, I would be the happiest person in the world. My favorite emails in the world to receive are the ones that begin, "Hi Cecily, I'm planning to propose to my girlfriend in Malibu..." because I know that I get to play Santa's-little-elf and find the right hiding spot, hear the back story, and pull of the surprise of the century for the luckiest girl in the world. 

​That's pretty much the story of Felix and Katheryn's Malibu proposal. Click the read more link to check out the photos! 

Since I missed the boat on being one of Santa's elves, I feel like documenting a real live proposal is the closest I'll ever get to being part of life's greatest surprises. Michael reached out to me to document the moment he popped the question to Jenn. On a lazy Sunday afternoon in the fall, the two of them drove up PCH to grab lunch at Malibu Seafood, one of their favorite early date spots. Unbeknownst to Jenn, I was hanging out on the sand with a book and my zoom lens, waiting for the moment they would walk over.

After the moment Michael asked, we spent a few minutes shooting engagement photos right on the beach where it all happened. 

Click through the photos below for the play by play and congratulations Michael and Jenn! 

As a photographer, I'm seeing a trend toward photographing actual moments in people's lives, not just the posed portrait photo shoots and I'm. Loving. It. When Ryan reached out and asked for photos of his proposal to beautiful Alexa, the love of his life, I knew it would be one of my favorite moments of the year.