A + J’s Cancun beach proposal is a great example of a ‘ninja’ or ‘paparazzi style’ proposal gone right. J asked me to hide until he got down on one knee and then document the surprise proposal moment as discreetly as possible for authentic, candid engagement photographs.

What made the difference is that J did a great job of following instructions. We were messaging each other before he started walking down the beach. I sent him a photograph of  a good location to propose with stick figure drawings so he could see how best to orient himself. The light was coming and going, and I asked him to try to be in the light if possible, and he even managed to wait for a cloud to pass before getting down on one knee to get that beautiful golden light and blue ocean and sky in his proposal photographs. The few moments before getting down on one knee can be pretty nerve wracking, so kudos to him!

J and I also did a solid job planning the whole Cancun beach proposal experience. I found a location on google maps which had a break in the Resorts, so had better chances of avoiding shadows from the high-rises blocking the sunset light. I then physically went to check out the location and make sure it really was as pretty as I hoped. Funnily enough, on goole earth the beach looks rocky but it had completely changed and the sand was significantly higher, The beaches in the Riviera Maya are constantly changing.

Also worth noting is that the weather was forecast 100% cloud cover on the day of A + J’s Cancun beach proposal, as you can see this was absolutely NOT the case on the day, just goes to show you really can’t trust the weather forecast here.

I love the engagement session that followed the proposal, A + J were super playful, and they have some moves too – Huge congrats to these cuties!