My features of the month have been neglected as a result of a busy summer attending and helping with weddings. But I am back and ready to share my September featured couple of the month: Alyssa Vorce (my sister!) and Owen Alexander. I worked with Owen for many months to help create and coordinate a beach proposal for Alyssa, his girlfriend of almost 9 years. The successful proposal took place on August 15th at Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. They will be saying "I do" on the beach next August.
Read about the cute details and advice I have to give for future proposals below.
The Proposal:
Alyssa and Owen are high school sweethearts who have been dating for a long time so Owen knew Alyssa was on high alert waiting for a proposal. He was hoping to accomplish two things: 1) catch her somewhat off guard and 2) incorporate the beach in the proposal as it is Alyssa's favorite spot.
One of our sisters, Hannah, was visiting us from overseas for a month and we decided that would be a sneaky time to plan a "sisters-only beach weekend".
Alyssa, having no idea that Owen was there too, showed up to the beach ready to play with her nieces and work on her tan. Meanwhile Owen was already waiting on the beach ready to propose. I walked Alyssa down the boardwalk and pointed to a bottle with a note inside. I said I wanted to take a picture for my Instagram account and told her to open it up. Inside the bottle she found a note from Owen directing her to the beach. In the blink of an eye, she found him, he proposed - she said yes of course - and we all celebrated with mimosas and a day of sun! Owen also surprised Alyssa later that night with a dinner attended by all her family members, and a romantic ocean-front hotel room . He did a great job- Go Owen!
Read about the cute details and advice I have to give for future proposals below.
The Proposal:
Alyssa and Owen are high school sweethearts who have been dating for a long time so Owen knew Alyssa was on high alert waiting for a proposal. He was hoping to accomplish two things: 1) catch her somewhat off guard and 2) incorporate the beach in the proposal as it is Alyssa's favorite spot.
One of our sisters, Hannah, was visiting us from overseas for a month and we decided that would be a sneaky time to plan a "sisters-only beach weekend".
Alyssa, having no idea that Owen was there too, showed up to the beach ready to play with her nieces and work on her tan. Meanwhile Owen was already waiting on the beach ready to propose. I walked Alyssa down the boardwalk and pointed to a bottle with a note inside. I said I wanted to take a picture for my Instagram account and told her to open it up. Inside the bottle she found a note from Owen directing her to the beach. In the blink of an eye, she found him, he proposed - she said yes of course - and we all celebrated with mimosas and a day of sun! Owen also surprised Alyssa later that night with a dinner attended by all her family members, and a romantic ocean-front hotel room . He did a great job- Go Owen!
Cute Details:
Message in a bottle: Straight from a movie, right? Alyssa found this bottle with a note from Owen directing her to the beach. She saved the bottle/note and keeps it in her bedroom to remind her of the special day.
Message in a bottle: Straight from a movie, right? Alyssa found this bottle with a note from Owen directing her to the beach. She saved the bottle/note and keeps it in her bedroom to remind her of the special day.
Seashell with the ring: Owen was going to propose with the ring in the seashell but it just didn't show off the ring properly for that special moment, so I wrote the date of the engagement on it and used it for some photo ops afterwards to go with their beach theme.
Heart Made of Rose Petals: The flower-shaped heart worked out well for the proposal. Creating the heart was a way for Owen to save a spot in the sand on a busy beach day and it added many points to the romantic level of the proposal! It created a special spot for the two of them to stand alone as he asked her to be his wife. |
Lessons We Learned for Future Proposers:
1) The More People Involved, The More Coordination Involved:
Because it is an incredibly special moment, Owen wanted to share the proposal with close family and friends; however, we found that the more people involved, the harder it is to schedule and make everyone happy. You may end up tending to others needs when it is supposed to be about you and your future bride/groom. Inviting family to a dinner afterwards to celebrate the proposal is a nice compromise, and easier to plan than having everyone there during that intimate moment.
2) Simple can be better.
Owen and I floated around many ideas, and picked apart every possible detail that could go wrong. We were coming up with elaborate plans that probably would end up causing more stress than needed, so eventually we decided simple was better. The less props Owen had to worry about on the day of... the better. That morning the only prop he brought were rose petals which were easy to set up and clean. And the ring of course!
3) Always have a rain plan.
Luckily, it did not rain for us but always, always, have a rain plan. If it had rained that day on the beach, we had a backup plan ready. Don't let rain ruin your special moment so be prepared! (rain & umbrellas can make some pretty amazing pictures too!)
4) Take a photo or a video.
Owen had a friend video the special moment and our sisters photographed the proposal, which was awesome because they now have tons of pictures to remember the day. But even if you do not want to involve other people, just ask a stranger to take a few pictures of you after a proposal. You may not realize it now, but you won't be able to go back to that moment ever again, and it is so nice to have a photo to look back on reminding you of what you were wearing, where you were and how you were feeling in that moment.
REMEMBER: At the end of the day, it is not about the lights or the show. It is about asking that special person to spend the rest of their lives with you. That is the most important part of a proposal. Remember why you are asking in the first place...xoxo
1) The More People Involved, The More Coordination Involved:
Because it is an incredibly special moment, Owen wanted to share the proposal with close family and friends; however, we found that the more people involved, the harder it is to schedule and make everyone happy. You may end up tending to others needs when it is supposed to be about you and your future bride/groom. Inviting family to a dinner afterwards to celebrate the proposal is a nice compromise, and easier to plan than having everyone there during that intimate moment.
2) Simple can be better.
Owen and I floated around many ideas, and picked apart every possible detail that could go wrong. We were coming up with elaborate plans that probably would end up causing more stress than needed, so eventually we decided simple was better. The less props Owen had to worry about on the day of... the better. That morning the only prop he brought were rose petals which were easy to set up and clean. And the ring of course!
3) Always have a rain plan.
Luckily, it did not rain for us but always, always, have a rain plan. If it had rained that day on the beach, we had a backup plan ready. Don't let rain ruin your special moment so be prepared! (rain & umbrellas can make some pretty amazing pictures too!)
4) Take a photo or a video.
Owen had a friend video the special moment and our sisters photographed the proposal, which was awesome because they now have tons of pictures to remember the day. But even if you do not want to involve other people, just ask a stranger to take a few pictures of you after a proposal. You may not realize it now, but you won't be able to go back to that moment ever again, and it is so nice to have a photo to look back on reminding you of what you were wearing, where you were and how you were feeling in that moment.
REMEMBER: At the end of the day, it is not about the lights or the show. It is about asking that special person to spend the rest of their lives with you. That is the most important part of a proposal. Remember why you are asking in the first place...xoxo
Here is a picture of Alyssa and me right after she found the bottle and realized what was happening! Her cheeks were rosy red when she saw everyone waiting.