This week, I got to team up with Kaitlin again, the superstar behind Pocketful of Plans, to plan Adrian and Antoinette’s Bernardus Lodge & Spa surprise proposal! The two of them are originally from Chicago and have been together for a little over a year now. They decided to celebrate their anniversary here. You can see it in their eyes that they know they’re meant to be!

Bernardus Lodge & Spa is one of my favorite venues in Carmel Valley. And I’m not just saying that as a local Carmel Valley engagement photographer either! They have the most beautiful rose garden there. It’s the perfect place for proposal portraits like Adrian and Antoinette’s!

Change Of Plans; A Rose Garden Surprise Proposal!

Now originally, we were planning on a more beachy, coastline-style engagement session but as the weather would have it, it was just a little too cloudy for our liking. What we did instead was keep everything at Bernardus Lodge & Spa, and used their rose garden as our venue. I adore how these pictures turned out, don’t you? I wouldn’t have changed it for anything! The roses gave Adrian and Antoinette’s proposal this romantic touch that really adds to the privacy and intimacy of the day.

Kaitlin and I made sure the picnic she planned for their Bernardus Lodge & Spa surprise proposal was one without rain. I love how it turned out with all the pretty details from Forage Vintage Rental and the floral arrangements from Fionna Floral! It was all set up with charcuterie boards and champagne underneath the trellis in the rose garden. We even had a lovely sunbeam peeking through the clouds that day to accompany us! I cannot stress what a difference a good planner can make on your day. Antoinette’s face absolutely lit up when Adrian got down on one knee right then and there! Isn’t this diamond ring just stunning?

Bernardus Lodge & Spa Rose Garden Portraits

As per Adrian’s wanting to keep his and Antoinette’s Bernardus Lodge & Spa surprise proposal session more on the private and intimate, I made sure to really make their garden portraits count. There couldn’t have been a better spot than the rose garden! Bernardus Lodge & Spa is such an intimate sanctuary already. The estate vineyard and rose garden are my favorite parts of the whole venue for portrait sessions like these.

Photographing this Bernardus Lodge & Spa surprise proposal was such a delight for a local Carmel Valley engagement photographer like me! I can’t thank my couples enough for the honor of being selected to capture their love story.

And of course, I’m always happy to work with an amazing planner like Kaitlin and our talented team of vendors to elevate the day and really give it the editorial look you’re dreaming of. I highly encourage couples out there to consider these more stylized sessions for your next special occasion! A planner can help you design your dream picnic, set it all up, and connect you with all the right people. Planning a proposal somewhere when you don’t know the area can be daunting, and you want it to be perfect. I’d love to be your boots on the ground as a local Carmel Valley engagement photographer. Congrats to this beautiful couple! Contact me here!

Team of Vendors:

Planning | Pocketful of Plans

Venue & Catering | Bernardus Lodge and Spa

Rentals | Forage Vintage Rental

Florals | Fionna Floral

Photography | AGS Photo Art