Olympic Peninsula Surprise Proposal
When Eric reached out to me about photographing his proposal to Allison one week before their trip to Washington, I was ecstatic — I love photographing proposals! Growing up, he’d spent his summers visiting his grandparents living on the Olympic Peninsula, so he already had plenty of ideas of where to pop the question. He was debating between it happening on the Dungeness Spit or an iconic lavender farm when I told him about my secret gem of a spot. He was immediately sold!
This little-known spot has coastal forests, a sandy beach, and fun rock formations that the waves crash on. At low tide, there’s plenty to explore and no matter how many people are there, it never feels crowded. However, I think it was the island full of trees right off the coast that won Eric over.
On the day of, Eric and I had minimal contact. He and Allison showed up at the appointed time (props to him for not raising suspicion while having a timeline on their first day of vacation together!), we made eye contact and I followed them from a distance looking like a tourist with a camera and backpack.
They wandered over the rocks, and soon Eric got down on one knee. Allison was completely surprised. Her reaction was so adorable! Soon after, Eric pointed me out, much to her delight.
I let them have a few minutes alone while I unpacked the rest of my camera gear. Once I have a camera on each hip, I no longer blend in like a tourist! Then we wandered the beach together, explored the rocks, and stopped for photos in the forest before parting ways. As I was leaving, they were heading back down to the beach to reminisce one last time before touring the rest of the Olympics together.
Congratulations, Eric and Allison!
Browse the archive or search for specific topics (try “Olympic National Park”, “climbing” or “LGBTQ+”).
