Jai and Liezl’s surprise proposal in Carmel By The Sea was SUCH an awesome morning session, complete with coffee and the beach! Jai booked me a few months in advance to capture this exciting new chapter in his and Liezl’s lives as a local Carmel By The Sea photographer. The weather was just perfect for beach-ing and the two of them really shined in their photos! Read on for all the smiles!

How Did You Two Meet?

“We met in undergrad through my cousin, who also went to school with us. She and my cousin were friends in high school. One day, she asked if I wanted to hang out with her high school friends. We became friends from then on, and started dating about a year later. We’ll have been together for eight years this fall!” – Jai

How Did You Know They Were The One?

“The way she’s really supportive and really tries to take away the stress from me. She genuinely cares about my well being without reservation. One thing Liezl recently started doing doing that makes me laugh is start talking like/acting like this character from a TV show we watched called Schitts Creek! She’ll adopt certain mannerisms from the character and actually does them pretty well! I’m a big joker myself and love poking fun at things. When someone can banter back with me, that’s how I know we’ll get along- and Liezl does just that.” – Jai

“Maybe I can’t recall a singular even that made me realize she’s the one, but I think that’s because I somehow knew all along. As we grew together and learned about one another, it just solidified the notion that Liezl is the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I knew I wanted to propose soon near the second half of 2020, but just wanted to figure out the right time. COVID kind of threw a little pause in that plan but it worked out and here we are!” – Jai

Carmel By The Sea Surprise Proposal Photography

One thing about Jai and Liezl’s surprise proposal in Carmel By The Sea that really stood out to me was that Jai really took his time. He was down on one knee for what seemed like a long while, and while I wasn’t close enough to hear anything since I was taking pictures, I could tell from the body language that it was a very sweet and beautiful proposal. He was pouring his heart out to her and wasn’t rushed at all- it all felt so lovely and full!

The color palette in their outfits was so romantic and simple too. You can never go wrong with neutrals after all! And the RING is absolutely gorgeous too, don’t you think? I love the round stone and the platinum band with the studded face and prongs! Jai told me that he helped design it with a friend of his in the business- SO cool!

It was definitely a surprise for Liezl! Her smile said it all! Jai told me all she’d be aware of is that the two of them were taking a vacation up to the Big Sur and surrounding areas. Needless to say, their surprise proposal in Carmel By The Sea was a success!

I’m so delighted to have been Jai and Liezl’s Carmel By The Sea photographer for their surprise proposal! If you’re looking for a local photographer, or even a destination one, look no further. I’d love to capture your next special occasion! Contact me here.