Jeremy & Lydia’s evening in the Santa Cruz Mountains had all the magic: rolling grassy hills, a sea of fog in the distance, and the kind of light that turns everything to gold. They set out as a group of three — Lydia’s sister joined “for a quick hike” — and meandered along the ridge until the views opened wide over the foothills and forest. [ read more … ]

Clare thought the proposal was going to happen in Yosemite during the big trip coming up right after this day… but Ryan had been quietly hatching the real proposal plan long before this day rolled around.

Ryan had let us in on the secret over three months ago to lock in a golden-hour proposal at the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve, a quiet local trail he knew from his cycling routes. [ read more … ]

As an outdoorsy couple, Hong and Ben wanted to be sure to capture nature in their engagement photos, and the Russian Ridge Open Space ended up being a perfect place for that. We aimed to capture them surrounded by beautiful landscapes and a big blue sky, and that’s exactly what we got! [ read more … ]

We’ve seen a lot of sunsets, but very few compare to the epic, sweeping views seen from up at the Mt. Tam. M did a ton of research before deciding on the Mount Tamalpais East Peak for his surprise proposal to V, spending many hours driving around the Bay Area to pick the perfect spot. Since he knew she loves mountains, hills, and nature, he knew this was going to be the place. It’s pretty well hidden away, but this rock on the side of the mountain offers a sweeping 270-degree panoramic view of San Francisco and the Bay Area, and it’s nothing short of spectacular. [ read more … ]

On top of a mountain, above the clouds — what could be a more romantic place to get engaged?

Ron wanted his proposal to be a family event; after all, getting engaged is a significant moment in the joining of two families into one. His plan was for the parents to meet for the first time in the morning, then to take a trip together to the top of Mount Tamalpais where he would pop the question. One problem was: where in the huge expanse of Mt Tam would be a good spot? To that end, I drove up a couple of weeks prior to the proposal to scout out the area and compiled a list of locations for him. Ron and I both thought one spot in particular, with its wide, expansive view of Marin and even San Francisco, was perfect… and thus the plan for this epic Mt Tam surprise proposal was set into motion. [ read more … ]