A Beachside Engagement Shoot Following a Proposal

Years later, Brendan surprised Kelsey with a short trip up the coast to Carpinteria, California, just a few days before Christmas. To aid in the proposal, his boss had lent him the use of her beach house for the weekend. The next morning, the lovebirds woke up to the sound of the ocean and took a hike through Toro Canyon Park. Brendan got on one knee and presented Kelsey with a ring made by her uncle Robert, from Nisbett Jewelers outside Portland, Oregon. After saying “Absolutely!” while happy tears poured down her face, Kelsey was further surprised when Brendan pointed out that his best man Chris was hiding out to capture the whole thing on camera. The two men had scouted out the perfect spot the week before. A talented photographer, Chris then took advantage of the beautiful natural setting and captured engagement shots of the sweethearts. 

The next day, they continued the e-session along the shore outside the beach house where they spent the night. Letting loose, Kelsey and Brendan acted as if the camera wasn’t even there and embraced the new chapter of their relationship. “At one point, we wrote our initials in the sand with a piece of driftwood and, looking back at those photos, it was as if there was no one else in the world but us in that moment,” Kelsey muses. Take a look at the photos from the proposal and engagement shoot, below!

Photos by Chris Weller

See an e-session between high school sweethearts at a New York mansion and view romantic engagement photos in the Malibu hills.