Journal

WELCOME

TO THE

← HOME

Molly and Erich’s Surprise Sailboat Engagement in Marina Del Rey

December 3, 2019

Molly and Erich’s Surprise Sailboat Engagement in Marina Del Rey turned out so beautiful! So happy to finally share a few of these!

Earlier this summer, fellow photographer friend Robin Randolph (in Japan at the time) and I, along with Jay Diaz, writer and director extraordinaire, helped Erich plan a super surprise proposal to his girlfriend Molly on a boat in the marina in Marina Del Rey. Having shot a handful of surprise proposals thus far in my career, I’ve gotta admit that I still get just as nervous as the one planning to ask their significant other. The terror of someone declining a marriage proposal, or accidentally spoiling the surprise somehow are one in the same!

So on the day of the event, Erich meets us at the sailboat we all agreed to meet at, early in the morning. He’s telling us the game plan which is Molly waiting for him at a Starbucks nearby while he “takes a test” because he’s tricked her into thinking that he’s been taking sailing classes. He gets all set up with Jay’s mic, rehearses a few things, and goes over our little “plan” one more time before taking off to go pick up Molly who’s waiting for him at Starbucks. As we wait for him to bring her back to the sailboat to “go for a casual sail” after he’s “passed his sailing test” (is there even such a thing???), Jay and I are making sure our gear is ready, but hidden (since she’s not meant to see that we have cameras, otherwise she could suspect something was up). When they both arrive to the boat, we act as if we’ve never met before, congratulate Erich on passing his “test”, and make fake small-talk. Shortly after we set sail, it doesn’t take long for Molly to seem a little bored, and definitely thinking “Oh, he’s for sure not proposing today.”

Once Erich gives us our cue (sends Molly downstairs into the cabin to “show her something”), Jay and I quickly assemble our gear and make our way out to the deck where Erich brings out Molly and does his thing. We immediately start shooting to capture her surprised face, which was definitely surprised!